CBSE Class 12

Here we are providing My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo, Extra Questions for Class 12 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet her mother might not live long with her. Therefore, feels ?
Answer:
The poet feels that her mother has grown so old that she couldnt grow older. She means to say that her mother might not live long with her. Therefore, the poet feels pain and ache,

Question 2.
Why are the young trees described as sprinting’?
Answer:
The young trees are described as sprinting since the car is moving fast in the forward direction. The trees appear to move in the backward direction. In fact it is the car that moves not the trees.

Question 3.
Why has the poet brought in the image of the children ‘spilling out of their homes’?
Answer:
The image of children spilling out of their homes has been brought to show the contrast between the old age and the childhood. In childhood, one is full of energy. In one’s old age the person becomes pale and lifeless.

Question 4.
Why has the mother been compared to the Tate winter’s moon’?
Answer:
Winter is considered as the season of death and life lessness. All the activities come to a standstill. The old age is often compared with the winter season. A person in old age looks as pale as a late winter’s moon. Therefore the poet has compared her mother to the late winter’s moon.

Question 5.
What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify ?
Answer:
The parting words of the poet were, ‘See you soon, Amma.’ And then she smiled and smiled only. These words show that the poet do feel for her mother but she could not express her feelings properly in words. Her smile signifies that she wants to hide her feelings for her mother under the garb of artificial smile.

Question 6.
Having looked at her mother the poet looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the children ?
Answer:
The poet is full of pain and ache when she looks at her ageing mother. She has grown so old that she might not grow older. This means her days on this earth are numbered. The poet looks at the children outside to divert her attention from the sad thoughts she has about her old mother.

Question 7.
What was Kamala Das’s childhood fear ?
Answer:
In her childhood, the poet’s heart was filled with fear whenever her mother was not with her. The poet now feels similar kind of fear since she senses that her mother has grown very old and perhaps she might not live long.

Question 8.
In the last line of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’, why does the poet use the word ‘smile’repeatedly ?
Answer:
The repetition of the smile indicates that the poet does feel for her mother, but she is unable to ex-press her feelings openly. She tries to hide her true feelings under the garb of repeated smile.

Question 9.
How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother ?
Answer:
When the poet sees her ageing mother, she becomes full of pain and agony. She thinks that her mother might not live long. To put away the thoughts of her ageing mother, the poet starts looking out of the car. She starts looking at the children rushing out of their homes and the trees that appear to sprinting.

Question 10.
What were the poet’s feelings at the airport ? How did she hide them ?
Answer:
The poet would become afraid when she did not find her mother with her. Her childhood’s fear now again, came to surface when she reached the airport. But she only said, ‘See you soon, Amma.’ And the poet could do nothing but smile and smile. The poet wants to convey the idea that the young ones do feel for their elders but they couldn’t express their feelings.

Question 11.
What were Kamala Das’s fears as a child ? Why do they surface when she is going to the airport ?
Answer:
In her childhood, the poet would become afraid when she could not find her mother with her. During her drive to the airport, the poet looked at her mother. The mother looked quite old and her face was white as a corpse. She felt that her mother was going to leave her for ever. In this way, the poet’s childhood fear surfaced when she was going to the airport.

My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Ageing is a natural process; have you ever thought what our elderly parents expect from us ?
Answer:
Ageing is a natural process. When the person be-comes old he becomes weak, he needs support .both emotional and physical. Thus, it becomes our duty to provide our old parents the love-, emotional support and respect they deserve. Our parents usually give us their best period of life to bring us up. Therefore it becomes our moral duty to reciprocate the same when they become old.

But unfortunately, due to rank materialism and nuclear family system the old people are treated as an unnecessary commodity. They are harassed and sometimes even beaten up. Many a time the old people are sent to old age homes, where they lack emotional support which the family can provide. It is very shameful for the younger generation. Our parents do not deserve such shabby treatment in their old age.

Question 2.
Write in brief the summary of the poem.
Answer:
One Friday morning the poet was driving in her car to the Cochin Airport from her parent’s home. Her old mother was sitting beside her. She had a glance at her mother. Her heart was full of pain to realize that her mother had grown very old. The poet’s mother was dozing, her mouth was opened and her face was as white as of a dead body. The poet realised

My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Stanza For Comprehension

Stanza 1

Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain
that she was as old as she
looked…

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Where was the poet driving to- ?
(c) Who was sitting beside her ?
(d) What did the poet realise with pain ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and its poet is Kamala Das.
(b) She was driving to Cochin.
(c) Her mother was sitting beside her.
(d) She realised with pain that her mother had grown very old.

Stanza 2

… saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain

Questions
(a) Who is T ?
(b) What did ‘I’ realized with pain ?
(c) Why was the realization painful ?
(d) Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines.
Answers
(a) The word T in these lines refers to the poet or the narrator.
(b) She realized with pain that her mother had grown very old and she might not live long.
(c) The realization was painful because the poet felt that she had to bear the separation from her mother soon.
(d) The figure of speech used here is simile … ashen like that of a corpse.

Stanza 3

Put that thought away, and
looked out at young trees
sprinting, the merry children
spilling
out of their homes, but
after the airport’s
security check, standing
a few yards away,I 
looked again at her,
wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon.

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Which thought did the poet put away ?
(c) What do the ‘sprinting trees’ signify ?
(d) What are ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’ symbolic of ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and its poet is Kamala Das.
(b) The thought that her mother had grown very old and might not live long.
(c) The ‘sprinting trees’ signify the childhood and youth.
(d) They are symbolic of carefree childhood.

Stanza 4

and felt that old
familiar ache, my
childhood’s fear,
but all I said was,
see you soon,
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile…

Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) What was the poet’s childhood fear that now troubled her ?
(c) What do the poet’s parting words suggest ?
(d) Why did the poet smile and smile ?
Answers
(a) frie name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and its poet is Kamala Das.
(b) When the poet was a child she became frightened when her mother was not with her. Now the same fear troubled her.
(c) These words show that the poet do love her mother but she couldn’t find appropriate words to express her love.
(d) The poet could not find any words to express her feelings. Therefore, she did nothing but smile.

Stanza 5

… old
familiar ache,
my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was,
see you soon,
Amma,
All I did was smile and smile and smile…

Questions
(a) What does the phrase, ‘familiar ache’ mean ?
(b) What was the poet’s childhood fear ?
(c) What do the first two lines tell us about the poet’s feeling for her mother ?
(d) What does the repeated use of the word ‘smile’ mean ?
Answers
(a) This was the pain and agony that the poet often felt that one or the other day she had to suffer due to the separation from her mother.
(b) In her childhood, the poet’s heart was filled with fear whenever her mother was not with her.
(c) The first two lines tell us that the poet was deeply attached with her mother. Whenever she was not with her, her heart was filled with fear.
(d) It signifies that the poet tried to hide her true feelings under the garb of false smile.

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

Going Places Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

Going Places Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Who was Jansie and Sophie? Where were they likely to find work?
Answer:
Jansie and Sophie were two school-going girls. They belonged to low middle class families. After completing their school, they both were earmarked to work in a biscuit factory.

Question 2.
Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from having dreams?
Answer:
Jansie and Sophie both belonged to low middle class families. They did not have any means to fulfil their ambitions and dreams. Jansie had calmly accepted her fate. But Sophie was a very ambitious girl. She had very unrealistic dreams and fantasies. Jansie knew that her friend had to meet disappointment in the end. Therefore she discouraged Sophie from having dreams.

Question 3.
What did Sophie think of doing after her school?
Answer:
Sophie was a highly ambitious girl. First she decided to open a boutique, then she thought of becoming a manager to start with. She also thought of becoming an actress.

Question 4.
Why did Sophie long for her brother’s affection?
Answer:
Sophie liked her brother more than any other person. But he was very introvert. He would not tell any of his secrets. However he was the only person who listened to Sophie’s wild stories. Therefore, Sophie longed for her brother’s affection.

Question 5.
Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her meeting with Danny?
Answer:
Sophie thought if Jansie came to know about her meeting with Danny, she would tell everyone. Then thousands of people would come to her house. It would make her father very angry. She thought that her father could then possibly murder her.

Question 6.
Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from entertaining thoughts about the sports-star Danny Casey? .
Answer:
Jansie knew her friend Sophie well. She knew that  Sophie’s meeting with Danny Casey was just her imagination. She wanted Sophie to be practical. She a Juiew such thoughts would create troubles for Sophie. Therefore she discouraged Sophie from entertaining thoughts about the sports-star Danny Casey.

Question 7.
It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are benefits and disadvantages of such fantasising?
Answer:
Teenage is considered the best period in person’s life. In this age, the person has maximum energy and he is free from every responsibility. But it is also the age when the person has dreams and fantasies. Every teenager has some role model also. It would be beneficial for the person if he goes into the direction of his/her dreams diligently. But mere fantasising and dreaming bring nothing but disappointment.

Question 8.
‘Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.’ Why did Sophie say so?
Answer:
Sophie told her brother, Geoff about her meeting with Danny Casey. She was sure that that he would not tell anybody her secret. But on the other hand, Geoff told that secret to Jansie’s brother and Jansie asked Sophie about it. Sophie became very angry with her brother and said, ‘Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.’

Question 9.
How did Sophie’s father react when Geoff told him about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie’s father turned his head on his thick neck to look at her. His expression was one of disdain. Sophie told him that Danny Casey was going to buy a shop. At this her father muttered, “This is another of your wild stories. One of these days you’re going to talk yourself into a load of trouble.” This shows that the old man knew his daughter very well.

Question 10.
What is the profession of Geoff ? How is he different from his sister?
Answer:
Geoff left his school three years ago. Now he works as an apprentice mechanic. He has to travel to his work to the far end of the city. But he is very introvert. He is not a daydreamer like Sophie. But he loves his sister very much so he listens her wild stories patiently.

Question 11.
Who was Danny Casey? How can you say that the members of Sophie’s family were great fan of his?
Answer:
Danny Casey was a young football player. He played for the United. Sophie and the members of her family were a great fan of his. Sophie even started dreaming to have a date with him. Her family went to see a football match in which Danny was playing.

Question 12.
Where did Sophie meet Danny Casey as she claimed?
Answer:
Sophie met Danny for the first time in the arcade. It was she who spoke first. She wanted an autograph for her little brother Derek. But neither of them had any pen. Therefore, they just talked a bit.

Question 13.
Do you think that Sophie’s meeting with Danny actually happened or it was just a part of her imagination?
Answer:
It appeared possible that Danny might have met with Sophie at the arcade. It also appeared possible they might have talked a bit. But it didn’t appear to be I possible that Danny would have called her to meet i the next week. The last part of her story is highly improbable. It was just a part of her imagination.

Question 14.
What thoughts come to Sophie’s mind as she sit by the canal?
Answer:
Sitting by the side of the canal Sophie waits for Danny Casey to come. The time keeps on passing. She starts feeling pangs of doubt inside her. Then she remembers Geoff saying he would never come. She thinks that she will never be able prove that the others were wrong to doubt her.

Question 15.
Did Geoff keep his promise to Sophie? How do you know?
Answer:
No, Geoff didn’t keep his promise to Sophie. He told Jansie’s brother about Soiphie’s meeting with Danny Casey. Jansie asked Sophie about that. Sophie felt a kind of shock. She had never expected that from Geoff.

Question 16.
What kind of a girl Jansie is?
Answer:
Jansie is a very practical girl. She belongs to a low middle class family. But she is contented with her life. She has accepted the reality calmly that she has to work as a petty employee in a biscuit factory.

Question 17.
Write a few lines about Sophie’s father?
Answer:
Sophie’s father belonged to labour class. He belonged to a low middle class. He had rough eating manners. He was quite a carefree person and didn’t take much interest in the activities of his children.

Question 18.
Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Answer:
Both the girls belonged to low middle class. They had been earmarked for a biscuit factory.

Question 19.
Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie knew that her father would become angry when he came to know about her meeting with Danny Casey. She knew he would scold her badly and severely. Therefore, she wriggled when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey.

Question 20.
Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer:
Geoff doesn’t believe Sophie when the latter tells him about her meeting with Danny Casey. He knows his sister well and knows she lives in the world of dreams.

Question 21.
Does her father believe her story?
Answer:
Her father doesn’t believe in her story. He knows her daughter well. He turns his head to look at her. He looks at her in disdain.

Question 22.
How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?
Answer:
Sophie has complete confidence in her brother. She knows that he won’t let her down and support her in every situation. Therefore she includes Geoff in her fantasies.

Question 23.
Which country did Danny Casey play for?
Answer:
Danny Casey played for Ireland. However, the English wanted him to play for them.

Question 24.
Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
Answer:
Sophie didn’t want Jansie to know her story about Danny Casey. She thought that Jansie would tell everyone about it. Then the people would come in large numbers to know about it in detail. Sophie was very afraid of her father. She feared that her father would become’ furious. He could also murder her.

Question 25.
Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?
Answer:
It is very difficult to say whether Sophie met with Danny Casey. She might have seen him from distance and then she weaved the whole story about her meeting with him in her mind.

Question 26.
Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?
Answer:
One Saturday, Sophie went with her family to watch a football match. Danny Casey was playing in this match for the United. He also scored a brilliant goal for his team. That was the only occasion when she saw Danny Casey in person.

Question 27.
How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?
Answer:
Sophie’s father belonged to labour class. He belonged to a low middle class. He had rough eating manners. He was quite a carefree person and didn’t take much interest in the activities of his children.

Question 28.
Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?
Answer:
Sophie liked her brother because she had full faith in him. She thought that he would never let her secrets out. Therefore, she used to share her secrets with her. Sophie’s brother spoke very little. Sophie thought he was a symbol of some exotic and interesting world.

Going Places Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot realise. Comment.
Answer:
Sophie belongs to a low middle class family. She has no means to gain name and fame.Therefore, she starts weaving in her mind the unrealistic dreams and fantasies. First of all she thinks that she would open a fine boutique in the city. When her friend Jansie tells her that it would take a lot of money to open a boutique, she says that she would become a manager to begin with. She does not realise that no one would make her a manager straight off.

Then she thinks of becoming an actress. She takes a chance meeting with Danny Casey as a beginning of love-affair with him. She dreams of meeting with him. But this and her other dreams are just a product of her imagination. She does not know how to realise them.

Question 2.
Describe the bond between Geoff and Sophie in spite of differences in their temperament and thinking.
Answer:
Geoff was Sophie’s elder brother. He was an apprentice mechanic and left his school three years ago. Unlike Sophie he was very introvert. Sophie was in fact jealous of his silence. But in spite of all this he loved his sister very much. Sophie would share all her secrets with her. Geoff knew that most of the stories Sophie told him were just a product of her imagination.

But even then he listened to her very patiently. He knew that Sophie’s story of meeting with Danny Casey was not true. But even then he promised her that he would not let her secret out to anybody. However, he warned Sophie that Danny Casey was a famous player. He must have a lot of girlfriends. He knew that Danny Casey would not turn up next week to meet her. He tried to persuade Sophie against her craziness for Danny. In fact Geoff was not only the elder brother of Sophie but also her friend and guide.

Question 3.
How different is Jansie from Sophie?
Or
Jansie is just as old as Sophie but she is very different from her. Bring out the contrast be-tween the two friends, citing relevant instances from the story, “Going Places”.
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie are classmates and friends. But they are poles apart as far as their character and temperament is concerned. Jansie is very down to earth girl. She knows that she belongs to a low middle class. She knows her limitations. She has accepted her fate that she has to work in a biscuit factory as a petty employee after her school education.

On one hand Sophie is an ambitious girl. She too belongs to a low middle class. But she has very unrealistic ambitions and dreams. First of all, she says that she will open a boutique, then she says she will become a manager. She also wants to become an actress. In fact she doesn’t know what she wants to become. She weaves a fantasy around a famous football player. She imagines that he would come and meet her. As a result of her unrealistic dreams and fantasies she has to face disappointment.

Question 4.
Describe the character of Sophie’s father and the role played by him?
Answer:
Sophie’s father belongs to labour class. He goes to his work on his bicycle. He is very careless and care¬free person. He has very rough eating manners. He likes to enjoy himself by going to a pub. He doesn’t care much even about his children. But this doesn’t mean that he knows nothing about the temperament of his children.

When Sophie keeps on saying that she has met Danny Casey, he looks at her disdain and says, “This another of your wild stories? One of these days you are going to talk yourself into a load of trouble.” In the end he proves true when Sophie has to meet disappointment regarding her supposed meeting with Danny Casey.

Question 5.
Write in brief the character-sketch of Geoff.
Answer:
Geoff was Sophie’s elder brother. He was three years out of school. He was an apprentice mechanic and he travelled to his work each day to the far side of the city. He was very introvert and spoke very little. Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of the ground. He was the only one with whom Sophie seemed to be close and she used to share all her secrets with him.

He also loved his sister very much. Sophie was jealous of his silence. She thought perhaps he knew many exotic and interesting people. However Geoff was so introvert that he didn’t make new friends easily. In fact, Geoff was a person who loved solitude.

Question 6.
Attempt a character-sketch of Sophie as a woman who lives in her dreams.
Answer:
Sophie belongs to a low middle class family. She has no means to gain name and fame. Therefore, she starts weaving in her mind the unrealistic dreams and fantasies. First of all, she thinks that she would open a fine boutique in the city. When her friend Jansie tells her that it would take a lot of money to open a boutique, she says that she would become a manager to begin with.

She does not realise that no one would make her a manager straight off. Then she thinks of becoming an actress. She takes a chance meeting with Danny Casey as a beginning of love-affair with them. She dreams of meeting with him. But this and her other dreams are just a product of her imagination. In fact, Sophie is a woman who lives in her dreams. She doesn’t know how to realise her dreams.

Question 7.
Sophie was a dreamer. This lesson, ‘Going Places’ reminds us that mere dreams will not help us to accomplish anything. What qualities, do you think, would help Sophie to realise her dreams?
Answer:
Sophie is shown as a girl who remains in the world of dreams. She always wants to gain name and fame. She wants to open a boutique or she wants to become a manager to begin with. She also wants to be an actress. But Sophie doesn’t have any means to fulfil her dreams.

She belongs to a low middle class family. To realise her dreams she has to work very hard. She has to start from a very humble position and then with constant hard work she can accomplish her dreams. But for that she must have a lot of patience and practical approach. By day-dreaming and unrealistic fantasies she cannot accomplish dreams.

Question 8.
Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in the classroom find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with Sophie’s dreams?
Answer:
It is always good to dream big. But the dreams should also be realistic. We can’t achieve great heights suddenly as if someone has turned a magical wand. Sophie belongs to a low middle class family. She has no means to gain name and fame. Therefore, she starts weaving in her mind the unrealistic dreams and fantasies. First of all, she thinks that she would open a fine boutique in the city. When her friend Jansie tells her that it would take a lot of money to open a boutique, she says that she would become a manager to begin with. She does not realise that no one would make her a manager straight off.

Then she thinks of becoming an actress. She takes a chance meeting with Danny Casey as a beginning of love- affair with him. She dreams of meeting with him. But this and her other dreams are just a product of her imagination. She does not know how to realise them. We should dream big but for that we should make constant efforts. Mere dreaming brings disappointment as it happens with Sophie.

Question 9.
Every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire. So many times they become role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasies about Danny Casey and is ambitious in life?
Answer:
It is true that almost every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire. That person may be some film star or sports person. Teenagers try to copy them. For them, they become their role models. There is nothing wrong in this. But sometimes this likeness for their role models becomes obsession with them. Teenagers could think nothing but their role models.

Eventually, they have to face disappointment in the end. Exactly this thing happened with Sophie. She took a chance meeting with Danny Casey as a beginning of love affair with him. She kept on dreaming about him. But this dream was not based on reality. As a result, she had to face disappointment in the end.

Question 10.
What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?
Answer:
Sophie was a very ambitious girl. She lived in the world of dreams and fantasies. She told Jansie that she would open a boutique after leaving the school. At this, Jansie informed her that it took a lot of money to open a boutique. At this Sophie said she would begin her career as a manager. Jansie informed her no one would appoint her as a manager straight off.

Then Sophie told Jansie that she would become an actress since actress had not to work for the whole day. She said when she had earned enough money then she would open her boutique. Jansie knew that she and Sophie were both ear-marked for a biscuit factory. She wished that Sophie should not say such unrealistic things. Jansie wanted Sophie to be sensible and she wanted to discourage her from such fantasies.

Question 11.
Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. Discuss.
Answer:
Sophie belonged to a low middle class family. She had no means to gain name and fame. Therefore she started weaving in her mind the unrealistic dreams and fantasies. First she thought that she would open a fine boutique in the city. When her friend Jansie told her that it would take a lot of money to open a boutique, she said that she would become a manager to begin with.

She did not realise that no one would make her a manager straight off. Then she thought she would become an actress. She took a chance meeting with Danny Casey as a beginning of love-affair with him. She dreamt of meeting with him. But this and her other dreams were just product of her mind and not based on any reality.

Question 12.
What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status?
Answer:
Sophie belonged to a low middle class family. She was going to leave her school within a few months and was earmarked to work in a biscuit factory as a petty employee. This showed that she was not going to do high studies. She lived in a small house which remained smoky. Her father belonged to labour class and had only a bicycle to go to his work.

He had very rough eating manners. He used to enjoy himself in a pub. Her telder brother had left school about three years ago yet was just an apprentice mechanic. All these were the indicators that showed that Sophie’s family was not a well-to-do family.

Question 13.
Sophie and Jansie were class-mates and Mends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. But they were poles apart as far as their character and temperament is concerned. Jansie was very down to earth girl. She knew that she belonged to a low middle class. She knew her limitations. She had accepted her fate that she had to work in a biscuit factory as a petty employee after her school education.

On the other hand Sophie was an ambitious girl. She too belonged to a low middle class. But she had very unrealistic ambitions and dreams. First she said that she would open a boutique, then she said she would become a manager. She also wanted to become an actress. In fact she didn’t know what she wanted to become. She wove a fantasy around a famous football player. She imagined that he would come and meet her. As a result of her unrealistic dreams and fantasies she had to face disappointment.

Going Places Extra Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read, the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow:

(Para-1)

Sophie watched her back stooped over the sink and wondered at the inconguity of the delicate bow which fastened her apron strings. The delicate-seeming bow and the crooked back. The evening has already blacked in the windows and the small room was steady from the stone and cluttered with the heavy-breathing man in his vest at the table and the dirty washing piled up in the corner. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat. She went to look for her brother Geoff.

Questions :
(a) Whose bow did Sophie watched and what did she feel ?
(b) What was the condition of the small room ?
(c) What did Sophie feel and what did she do then ?
(d) Name the chapter and its writer.
Answers:
(a) Sophie watched the back bow of her own mother stooped over the sink and wondered at the inconguity of the delicate bow.
(b) The small room was steamy from the stove and cluttered with the heavy-breathing man in his vest at the table and the dirty washing piled up in the corner.
(c) Sophie felt a tightening in her throat and she went to look for her brother Geoff.
(d) The chapter’s name is ‘Going Places’ and its writter is ‘A. R. Barton’.

(Para-2)

“It was nothing like that, Geoff It was me spoke first. When I saw who it was, I said, “Excuse me, but aren’t you Danny Casey ?” And he looked sort of surprised. And he said, “Yes, that’s right.” And I knew it must be him because he had the accent, you know, like when they interviewed him on the television. So I asked him for an autograph for little Derek, but neither of us had any paper or a pen. So then we just talked a bit. About the clothes in Royce’s window. He seemed lonely. After all, it’s a long way from the west of Ireland. And then, just as he was going, he said, If I would care to meet him next week he would give me an autograph then. Of course, I said I would.”

Questions :
(a) Who looked sort of surprised and why ?
(b) How did Sophie confirm that he was Danny Casey ?
(c) What did Sophie ask him and what happened then ?
(d) While going, what did Danny Casey ask her ?
Answers :
(a) Danny Casey looked sort of surprised because Sophie asked him about his name (identity).
(b) By hearing his accent and remembering his interview on television, she confirmed that he was Danny Casey.
(c) Sophie asked him for an autograph for little Derek but neither of them had any paper or a pen.
(d) While going, Danny Casey asked her. If she would care to meet him next week he would give her an autograph then.

(Para-3)

After dark she walked by the canal, along a sheltered path lighted only by the glare of the lamps from the wharf across the water, and the unceasing drone of the city was muffled and distant. It was a place she had often played in when she was a child. There was a wooden bench beneath a solitary elm where lovers sometimes came. She sat down to wait. It was the perfect place, she had always thought so, for a meeting of this kind. For those who wished not to be observed. She knew he would approve.

Questions :
(a) After dark, where did she walk along ?
(b) Why that place was suitable for meeting ?
(c) Where and why did she sit ?
(d) Why it was a perfect place ?
Answers :
(a) After dark, she walked by the canal, along a sheltered path lighted only by the glare of the lamps from the wharf across the water.
(b) The unceasing drone of the city was muffled and distant, so that place was suitable for meeting.
(c) There was a wooden bench beneath a solitary elm where . lovers sometimes came, she sat down there to wait.
(d) It was a perfect place because lovers metting there could not be observed by anyone.

(Para-4)

And afterwards you wait there alone in the arcade for a long while, standing where he stood, remembering the soft melodious voice, the shimmer of green eyes. No taller than you. No bolder then you. The prodigy. The innocent genius, the great Danny Casey.
And she saw it all again, last Saturday saw him ghost past the lumbering defenders, heard the fifty thousand catch their breath as he hovored momentarily over the ball, and then the explosion of sound as he struck it crisply into the goal, the sudden thunderous eruption of exultant approbation.

Questions :
(a) What was she remembering about Danny Casey ?
(b) What titles did she use for Danny Casey ?
(c) When and what did she see last Saturday ?
(d) What explosion could be seen at the stadium ?
Answers :
(a) She was remembering about the scene of the arcade where he stood. She remembered the soft melodious voice and the shimmer of green eyes.
(b) She titled Danny Casey “No taller than you’, the prodigy, the innocent genius, the great Danny Casey.
(c) Last Saturday, she saw him ghost past the lumbering defenders, heard the fifty thousand catch their breath as he hovered momentarily over the balk
(d) The explosion of sound, the sudden thunderous eruption of exultant approbation could be seen at the stadium.

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

The Interview Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

The Interview Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Other than celebrities, what do some people think about an interview?
Answer:
Other than celebrities, mostly common persons think that an interview is the only and best source of truth. It according to them, is an art.

Question 2.
In which way do the celebrities take an inter-view?
Answer:
Celebrities find themselves as victims, they take interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives which somehow diminishes them.

Question 3.
What did ‘Caroline’, the wife of ‘Rudyard Kipling’ write in her diary?
Answer:
Caroline wrote that two reporters from Boston destroyed their whole day on 14 October, 1892.

Question 4.
Who described interview like thumbprints on his windpipe and why?
Answer:
‘Saul Bellow’ once described interviews as being like thumbprints on his windpipe because he became exhausted by the interviewes.

Question 5.
How Umberto Eco managed to write too much in his life?
Answer:
Umberto Eco started to utilize interstices: the empty space which according to him is enough with everyone.

Question 6.
How can we say that Umberto Eco had a wide range of writing?
Answer:
Umberto Eco was an expertise in semiotics and other than this he started to write fiction, literary fiction, academic texts, essays, children’s books, newspaper articles etc. So his versatility in writings can be easily understood.

Question 7.
What made ‘The Name of the Rose’ a hugely successful novel?
Answer:
According to Umberto Eco, the most possible reason about the success of the novel was a time’s mystery and actually nobody could predict the exact reason of it.

Question 8.
What is Umberto Eco’s theory of interstices?
Answer:
Umberto Eco says about the elimination of empty spaces from the universe, from all the atoms and then the universe would become as big as his fist.

Question 9.
How many copies of the novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ were sold?
Answer:
More than 10 million copies of the novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ were sold.

Question 10.
How and when did Umberto Eco start to write novels?
Answer:
Umberto Eco started to write novels accidently at the age of 50. Then only on Sundays, he used to write the content of the novels.

Question 11.
Umberto Eco does many things, but says, “I am always doing the same thing but that is more difficult to explain”. What does he mean to say?
Answer:
Umberto Eco says that he has philosophical interests which reflect in all his writings : fiction and non-fiction. In this way, he does the same thing, though he seems to pursue various activities : writing notes for newspapers, novels, teaching, writing essays, children’s books etc.

Question 12.
Despite the drawbacks, the interview is a ‘supremely serviceable medium of communication’. Explain.
Answer:
Despite its drawbacks, the interview has its own advantages. Though, interview is an intrusion into the personal life of the interviewee, it is always a supremely serviceable medium of communication. Through the interviews only, we get vivid impressions of our contemporary celebrities. We get a glance of their way of working.

Question 13.
What are some of the positive views on inter-views?
Answer:
Interview is considered as a reliable source of truth. Contemporaries and their success can be read through the interviews. A very important part of journalism is interview now a days.

Question 14.
Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed ?
Answers :
Most celebrity writers despise being interviewed because they have faced the fright of interview. Among them, interview is regarded as an unwarranted entrance into their privacy.

Question 15.
What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?
Answer:
Some primitive cultures believe that a person’s soul is stolen if he or she is photographed.

Question 16.
What do you understand by the expression “thumbprints on his windpipe”?
Answer:
“Thumbprints on his windpipe” expresses the block,age to any person’s freedom and privacy. It can be \ considered as a suffocation felt by the interviewes.

Question 17.
What in today’s world, is our chief source of information about personalities?
Answer:
In today’s world, our chief source of information about personalities is an interview.

Question 18.
Do you think Umberto Eco like, being Inter viewed? Give reasons for your opinion.
Answer:
Umberto Eco surely likes being interviewed as a part of his interview is presented in this chapter. He answers every question asked by Mukund and never frustrates and criticizes the interview like many other celebrity writers.

Question 19.
How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Answer:
Umberto Eco uses each and every moment of time. Even he is capable to utilize the little space between different act.s. So he calls it as usage of interstices; the management of time.

Question 20.
What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
Answer:
Eco’s academic writing style can be said as narrative which is personalised and interesting. Ecos writing style is not dull and boring; different from others.

Question 21.
Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?
Answer:
Umberto Eco firstly considered himself as an academic scholar because he was a professor and wrote many academic texts while he wrote his first novel at the age of 50 accidenty.

Question 22.
What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose?
Answer:
The Name of the Rose is a serious detective story but delved into metaphysics, theology and medieval history. The novel got a huge success and the reason Umberto Eco assesses is its favourable publication time.

The Interview Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Give a character sketch of Umberto Eco on the basis of the chapter ‘The Interview’.
Answer:
Umberto Eco, a university professor at the university of Bologna in Italy, is an academician and a famous novelist. He, through various interview discloses his secret of success in life and never hates the interviewers. He has his taste in various fields of writings as academic texts, fiction and non-fiction, literary fiction, essays, children’s books, newspaper articles etc.

He always wanted to be called as an academician not a novelist. He used to participate in academic conferences, on the other hand, he avoided the meetings of writers and Pen Club Members. He has written forty scholarly works and novels only five. He used to denote time for writing novels on only ‘Sundays’. He discovered a magical trick of working in interstices.

He used to use even the seconds of his time. He captured the empty spaces for writing notes or any content. He had an expertise in ‘Semiotics’: the study of signs. He never became a slave of proud as he openely admitted that his novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ got success accidently and the time was in his favour. He didn’t have any attitude of the celebrity though his novel was bought by more than the 10 million of the readers.

Question 2.
‘Mukund Padmanabhan’ was a reporter from ‘The Hindu’. In the context of the chapter, re-veal his traits as an interviewer.
Answer:
Mukund Padmanabhan was surely a successful and well thought-out reporter who always used to ask answerable and dexterous questions to his interviewees. He used to plan and prepare to con-duct an interview of a celebrity. He never asked ugly or embarrasing questions and on the other hand, the celebrity whom he interviewed always seemed to be comfortable with his questions. Through the inteviews, readers not only got the informations

about the celebrities but many other important aspects of Mukund’s personality also came in their knowledge. He asked brief and quality questions to his interviewees scrupulously. He let the interviewees spoke in their own manner and never tried to interrupt or cross-questioned them.

His interviewees used to be free and frank with him. He was always a prepared interviewer. Mukund, in advance arranged the informations and personality traits of his interviewees and then with full preparations, started his sessions. In all we can say that Mukund Padmanabhan was a disciplined and dedicated interviewer.

Question 3.
Several celebrities despise being interviewed. Is this justified? Why? Why not?
Answer:
There are several celebrities mentioned in this chapter like Rudyard Kipling, V.S. Naipaul, H.G. Wells, Saul Bellow and etc. who dislike interviews very strongly. They never became ready to be interviewed. Most of them considered interviews as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives. They did not want to reveal the secrets of their personal lives.

Even an interview is considered as an immoral activity, as a crime or sometimes as an assault. They feel that the interviewers waste their precious time which can be used by them for more creativity. On the other hand, common mass take interviewes very positively as they come to know about the inner and hidden things of their ideals. But interviewes have their drawbacks also.

Celebrities feel shy and disappointed when they are asked for interviewes but they forget that they become famous and wealthy through the successful interviewes. General mass become their fan and devotee by knowing more and more about their ideals. Celebrities are even worshipped. In this regard, it can be said that interview cannot be termed as an immoral activity.

The Interview Extra Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow:

(Para-1)

Since its invention a little over 130 years ago, the interview has become a commonplace of journalism. Today, almost everybody who is literate will have read an interview at some point in their lives, while from the other point of view, several thousand celebrities have been interviewed over the years, some of them repeatedly. So it is hardly supervising that opinions of the interview of its functions, methods and meritsvery considerably.

Questions :
(a) What is an interview ? What’s its place in journalism ?
(b) What is the relation of an interview with a celebrity ?
(c) What is an interview for a literate person ?
(d) Name the chapter and the writer.
Answers:
(a) An interview is a one-on-one conservation between an interviewer and an interviewee. It has a commonplace in journalism.
(b) Though, according to the text, most of the celebrities despise from interview but several thousand times, celebrities have been interviewed over the years, some of them repeatedly.
(c) For a literate person, an interview is an exciting content through which he comes to know about their idols.
(d) The chapter is ‘The Interview’ by ‘Christopher Silvester’.

(Para-2)

‘Yet despite the drawbacks of the interview, it is a supremely serviceable medium of communication. “These days, more than at any other time, our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries are through interviews.” Denis Brian has written. “Almost everything of moment reaches us through one man asking questions of another. Because of this, the interviewer holds a position of unprecedented power and influence.”

Questions :
(a) Despite the drawbacks, what is an interview ?
(b) Through which medium, how do we get most vivid impressions of our contemporaries ?
(c) How, according to Denis Brian, almost everything of moment reaches us ?
(d) Because of interviews, what position does the inter-viewer hold ?
Answers :
(a) Despite the drawbacks, an interview is a supremely serviceable medium of communication.
(b) Through interviews, we get most vivid impressions of our contemporaries.
(c) According to Denis Brian, almost everything of moment reaches us through one man asking questions to another.
(d) Because of interviews the interviewer holds a position of unprecedented power and influence.

(Para-3)

And then I have a secret. Did you know what will hap¬pen if you eliminate the empty spaces in all the atoms ? The universe will become as big as my fist. Similarly, we have a lot of empty space in our lives. I call them interstices. Say you are coming over to my place. You are in an elevator and while you are coming up, I am waiting for you. This is an interstice, an empty space.
Questions :
(a) What secret did Umberto Eco had ?
(b) What did Umberto Eco tell about the universe as well as fist ?
(c) What, according to the interviewee an ‘interstice’ ?
(d) What example did Umberto quote about an empty space ?

(Para-4)

That’s possible. But let me tell you another story, because I often tell stories like a Chinese wise man. My American publisher said while she loved my book, she did n’t expect to sell more than 3,000 copies in a country where nobody has seen a cathedral or studies Latin. So I was given an advance for 3,000 copies, but in the end it sold two or three million in the U.S.

A lot of books have been written about the medieval past for before mine. I think the success of the book is a mystery. Nobody can predict it. I think if I had written ‘The Name of the Rose’ ten year earlier or ten years later, it wouldn’t have been the same. Why it worked at that time is a mystery.

Questions :
(a) What does the American publisher say to Umberto Eco ?
(b) How many copies of that book were sold ?
(c) What Umberto Eco says about the success of the book?
(d) What is a mystery according to Umberto Eco ?
Answers :
(a) American publisher says that in a country where nobody has seen a cathedral or studies Latin, sale will not more than 3,000 copies of the book.
(b) Two or three million copies of that book were sold.
(c) Umberto Eco says that the success of the book is a mystery.
(d) According to Umberto Eco, ‘why it worked at that time is a mystery’. The sale and success of the book was a mystery.

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

Poets and Pancakes Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

Poets and Pancakes Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Why did the legal adviser lose his job in the Gemini Studios?
Answer:
The legal adviser worked in the story department of the Gemini Studios which was later closed by the boss. So, in this way, the legal adviser lost his job.

Question 2.
What do you understand by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make up?
Answer:
The makeup room was glowed by many incandescent lights which produced very fiery heat. Artists had to face that extreme heat as they had to sit there for makeup. They were pitiful and could not do anything in this regard.

Question 3.
What was the poet’s preconceived idea about communism?
Answer:
The poet opined that the communists were heart-less and godless persons. They did not love their wife, children as well as relatives. They were always ready for violence and to tease the innocent people.

Question 4.
Who was Greta Garbo?
Answer:
Greta Garbo was a Swedish actress who received honorary Oscar for her unforgettable screen performances. Guiness Book of World Records named her the most beautiful woman who ever lived and she was also voted Best Silent Actress of the country.

Question 5.
What do you infer of Robert Clive from the text?
Answer:
Robert Clive was Commander-in-Chief of British India who owned many buildings in Madras and fought many battles and married a maiden in St. Mary’s Church in Fort St. George in Madras.

Question 6.
What do you understand by national integration?
Answer:
The national integration is a combination which consists of each and every, many castes, tribes and communities in it. National Integration is above than any of the religion or thinking and it unites various people from various places and cultures.

Question 7.
What is a hierarchy?
Answer:
Hierarchy is a process in which members of any of the organigation or society are ranked according to relatives their, their status and authorities.

Question 8.
What is the designation‘a office boy’ signify?
Answer:
The office boy is a person of no age limit who works in various offices and departments. He simply does the ordinary or menial tasks as fetching the coffee or drinks, filing, introducing visitors to the office etc.

Question 9.
What happened with Subbu’s literary achieve-ments? ‘
Answer:
Though, Subbu was a tailor made for films but he had a talent of poetry and writing novels. Later, as his filmy career grew higher, his literary talent and achievements were overshadowed and dwarfed by his own success.

Question 10.
What could be the reason of the shut of the story department?
Answer:
The story department was comprised of many poets and writers and also a lawyer with them. But later, it was closed. The possible reason for the shutting down of the story department may be its uselessness or unbearable expenses or regular salary of the members and less output in return.

Question 11.
Which poets from England were known to the Gemini Studios’ staff ?
Answer:
The ordinary staff of the Gemini Studios knew or heard about Wordsworth and Tennyson; and the more literate ones knew of Keats, Shelly and Byron or about Eliot. But they didn’t know about Stephen Spender, who was invited at the Gemini Studios.

Question 12.
‘The God That Failed’ was the composition of six eminent men of letters. Describe.
Answer:
The God That Failed’ contained six separate essays of six renowned essayists about their journeys into communism and their disillusioned return. Those six distinguished writers were : Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Arthur Koestler, Louis Fischer and Stephen Spender.

Question 13.
What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up?
Answer:
The writer means that the artists who were subjected to make-up had to bear very intense heat due to the multiple incandescent lights and reflecting big mirrors.

Question 14.
What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
Answer:
Make-up department is the fine example of national integration that the author refers to as people from various and distinct parts of India used to work there together.

Question 15.
What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studios? Why was he disappointed?
Answer:
During the crowd shooting in the Gemini Studios, the office boy used to paint their faces slapping with heavy paint. Thinking that he would become a top star, screen writer or a director or lyrics writer; he joined the Gemini Studios. He couldn’t succeed and was disappointed due to his faliure and thought that his talent was going to be wasted.

Question 16.
Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?
Answer:
The author’s duty was to cut the newspaper clip-pings for the subject, arrange them in a file and some-times writing by hand and this work appeared to be ^useless or valueless in others’ view.

Question 17.
Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?
Answer:
The office boy was frustrated because he assumed that his talent was being wasted working in a department that was suitable only for barbers and perverts. He showed his anger on Kothamangalam Subbu for his negligence and dishonour.

Question 18.
Who was Subbu’s principal?
Answer:
Mr. S.S. Vasan, the owner of the Gemini Studios, was the principal of Subbu.

Question 19.
Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities.
Answer:
Though Subbu was a versatile character having many qualities, nevertheless his main four abilites can be counted as following: he was tailor-made for films, could solve any of the problem; he, being a poet could write any type of poetry; he was always joyful and having very sound relationship with his relatives and acquaintances; and lastly he was also having a talent of writing novels.

Question 20.
Why was the legal advisor referred to as the opposite by others?
Answer:
Instead of solving the legal problems of the people, the legal advisor himself used to create problems for them. Once, when a talented heroine heard her own voice, she was disappointed and her growth and career became steady and unfruitful.

Question 21.
What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
Answer:
The lawyer, in comparision with other members of story department, used to wear trousers, shirts and tie whereas others wore dhotis and especially khadi. So, sometimes wearing a coat also, the lawyer stood out different from others.

Question 22.
Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?
Answer:
No, the people at Gemini Studios had no political affiliations. They wore khadi and were devotees of Gandhiji. They didn’t have any opinion about any political party or even with communism.

Question 23.
Why was the Moral Re-armament Army welcomed at the Studios?
Answer:
The Moral Rearmement Army was welcomed at the Gemini Studios as they staged two successful plays many a times and the army was invited by the owner of the Gemini Studios. They were also appreciated for their sense of costumes and arrangements.

Question 24.
Give one example to show that Gemini Studios was influenced by the plays staged by MRA.
Answer:
The Gemini Studios was actually influenced by the sunset and sunrise scenes presented by MRA through their play ‘Jotham Valley’, The scene seemed to be unique with white background and a tune played on the flute.

Question 25.
Who was the boss of Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Mr. S.S. Vasan was the boss of Gemini Studios.

Question 26.
What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios?
Answer:
People at the Gemini Studios were totally unknown about the strange accent of the Englishman and couldn’t understand his wordings so this was the cause of lack of communication.

Question 27.
Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?
Answer:
Englishman’s visit is referred to as unexplained mystery because nobody could understand the purpose of his visit as studio’s people made Tamil films for the simplest sort of people and they had no taste for English poetry.

Question 28.
Who was the English visitor to the studios?
Answer:
Stephen Spender, an English poet and editor was the English visitor to the Gemini Studios.

Question 29.
How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studio was?
Answer:
The author was interested in a contest organised by a British periodical ‘The Encounter’. So for periodicals, he went to British council library where he saw the prints of ‘The Encounter’. He discovered the editor’s name which was ‘Stephen Spender’ an Englishman who visited the Gemini Studios.

Question 30.
What does ‘The God That Failed’ refer to?
Answer:
‘The God That Failed’ refers to a collection of six essays by six eminent men of letters. It was their journey to enter into the communism and their dis-illusioned return.

Question 32.
Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No.2 in Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Kothammangalam Subbu, a Brahmin was a multi-talented personality. He used to solve each and every problem of Gemini Studios. He was very close to the boss and was always seemed with him. He commanded all the activities of all the persons related to the Gemini Studios. So we can say that Subbu was the next boss of the Gemini Studios.

Poets and Pancakes Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Write a brief note on what you have learnt about Subbu’s Character?
Answer:
Subbu, Kothamangalam Subbu was a Brahmin by caste and placed at no. 2 position at the Gemini Studios. He always remained cheerful and satisfied. Though he was very generous to all people of the Gemini Studios as well as all the relatives and acquaintances, yet he too was having his woes. People disliked him because of his closeness to the boss. He was very loyal to his boss.

At Gemini Studios, he had the solution of all problems at one place. He seemed to be indulged in every important affair of the company. He also had the artistic talent as he was a poet and novelist also. He used to write in a simple way for common mass as he composed several folk dictions and deftly created characters for novel. He was an amazing actor though never acted for a lead role but got more praise than the main character. He was a tailor-made actor with unmatchable capacities.

Question 2.
What was Moral Re-armament Army? Describe about their journey to the Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-armament Army came to the Gemini Studios in 1952. It was a drama company with 200 strong and expert artists named as international cricus. All those persons belonged to twenty different countries. They performed two different plays successfully representing simple homilies with fine dressings and an effective set.

Plays played by the players were ‘Jotham Valley’ and ‘The Forgotten Factor’ which were widely appreciated by the members of the studios. The scenes of sunrise and sunset were hugely copied by the audience for many years. Those scenes were played on a bare stage with a white background and a tune was played on the flute. Thus MRA influenced the spectators in a very impressive manner.

Question 3.
Describe the make-up department of Gemini Studios?
Answer:
The make-up department of the Gemini Studios was established on the upstairs of a building that was believed to have been Robert Clive’s stables. The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at all angles. The lights were incandescent which produced the extreme heat and about half dozen big mirrors reflected the light, that was totally unbearable for the artists to be made-up.

The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who when left, a Maharashtrian headed it with an assistant Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the usual local Tamils. In this way, there was a great deal of national integration. A strict hierarchy could be noticed at make-up department. The chief make-up man attended to the chief actors and actresses. His senior assistant looked to the ‘second’ hero and heroine, the junior assistant the main comedian and so forth.

The players who played the crowd were the responsibility of the office boy. He used to mix his paint in a giant vessel and slap it on the crowd players. So, the gang of nationally integrated make-up men could turn any decent-looking person into a hideous crimson hued monster with the help of truck-loads of Pancake and a number of other locally made potions and lotions. Thus, the make-up room was not less than a torcher room for the artists who were to be prepared for the shoot.

Question 4.
How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience at Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Only Tamil films were made in the Gemini Studios and the peoples of the Gemini Studios had nothing to do with the English poetry. Not any of the English visitor could generate any point of interest among Gemini Studios’ peoples regarding English poetry and they were also unable to understand the strange and different accent of the Englishmen. So it was surely the incongruity of an English poet ad-dressing the audience at Gemini Studios and the anthor found no productivity of any talent or knowledge through the visits of Englishmen.

Question 5.
What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?
Answer:
Author, though had a work of newspaper cutting collection in the Gemini Studios but undoubtedly this belonged to his literary taste which also required the sound knowledge of literature.

He needed be aware about different papers and periodicals also. After his retirement, he continued reading habit so once when he found a low priced edition of‘The God That Failed’, he immediately bought it. This account reveals his literary taste that made him a successful writer also.

Question 6.
The author has used gentle humour to point out human problems. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
Answer:
Many instances of humour are used by the author in this piece. Scenes of makeup department and usage of Pancakes is very humorous. It was more a hair cutting saloon than the makeup room containing too much lights and mirrors. Makeup team could easily convert an ordinary man into a hideous crimson hued monster.

According to the strict hierarchy, people were fixed for various levels artists. A office boy, though a 40 years man he was, joined the Gemini Studios to become a star actor, a writer or a lyricist but failed and started to motivate others though he himself had as failed to achieve his aim.

Poets and Pancakes Extra Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read, the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow:

(Para-1)

A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make up department. The chief make up man made the chief actors and actresses ugly, his senior assistant the ‘second’ hero and heroine, the junior assistant the main comedian, and so forth. The players who played the crowd were the responsibility of the office boy. (Even the make up department of the Gemini Studios had on ‘office boy!) On the days when there was a crowd-shooting, You could see him mixing his paint in a giant vessel and slapping it on the crowd players.

Questions:
(a) What do you understand by ‘hierarchy’ ?
(b) Whose responsibility was to make up the crowd ?
(c) How the office boy used to prepare the make up paint?
(d) Name the chapter and the writer.
Answers :
(a) Hierarchy is a system in which members/ participants of any oragnisation/ company are ranked according to relation or their authority.
(b) The crowd was made-up by the office boy of Gemini Studios.
(c) The office boy used to prepare the make up paint by mixing it (paint) in a giant vessel.
(d) The chapter’s name is ‘Poets and Pancakes’ by ‘Asokamitran’.

(Para-2)

An extremely talented actress, who was also extremely temperamental, once blew over on the sets. While every¬one stood stunned, the lawyer quietly switched on the re¬cording equipment. When the actress paused for breath, the lawyer said to her, “One minute, please,” and played back the recording. There was nothing incriminating or unmentionably foul about the actress’s tirade against the producer. But when she heard her voice again through the sound equipment, she was struck dumb.

Questions :
(a) What happened to the actress once on the sets ?
(b) What did the lawyer said in the mid of the shot ?
(c) Was there something special about actress’s tirade ?
(d) Why was the actress struck dumb ?
Answers:
(a) Once on the sets, the actress with extremely tempera-mental blew over.
(b) In the mid of the shot, the lawyer said to the actress, “One minute, please,” and played back the recording.
(c) No, nothing was special and mentionable about the actress’s tirade.
(d) The actress struck dumb when she heard her own voice again through the sound equipment.

(Para-3)

Gemini Studios was the favourite haunt of poets like
S.D.S. Yogiar, Sangu Subramanyam, Krishna Sastry and Harindranath Chattopadhyaya. It had an excellent mess which supplied good coffee at all times of the day and for most part of the night. Those were the days when Congress rule meant Prohibition and meeting over a cup of coffee was rather satisfying entertainment. Barring the office boys and a couple of clerks, everybody else at the Studios radiated leisure, a pre-requisite for poerty.

Questions :
(a) Why all four poets mentioned above gathered at Gemini Studios ?
(b) What was the use of mess at Gemini Studios ?
(c) What was the meaning of Congress rule those days ?
(d) Why leisure, a pre-requisite for poetry was ?
Answers:
(a) All four poets mentioned above gathered at Gemini Studios because it was an excellent place for discussion and they felt relaxed gathering there.
(b) Mess at Gemini Studios supplied good coffee at all times of the day and for most part of the night.
(c) Congress rules, those days meant ‘Prohibition’.
(d) Leisure was a pre-requisite for poetry because poetry was liked by not only office boys or clerks but by everybody there.

(Para-4)

A few months later, the telephone lines of the big bosses of Madras buzzed and once again we at Gemini Studios cleared a whole shooting stage to welcome another visitor. All they said was that he was a poet from England. The only poets from England the simple Gemini staffknew or heared of were Word worth and Tennyson; the more literate ones knew of Keats, Shelly and Byron; and one or two might have faintly come to know of someone by the name Eliot. Who was the poet visiting the Gemini Studios now ?

Questions: .
(a) Why did they clear the whole shooting stage ?
(b) What did they come to know about the visitor ?
(c) Which poets were known among the more literate peoples of Gemini Studios ?
(d) Was they sure about the visitor that time ?
Answers:
(a) They cleared the whole shooting stage to welcome an another visitor at Gemini Studios.
(b) They came to know that the visitor might be a poet from England..
(c) Keats, Shelley and Byron were known among the more literatre peoples of Gemini Studios.
(d) No, they were not sure about the visitor that time.

(Para-5)

And years later, when I was out of Gemini Studios and I had much time but not much money, anything at a reduced price attracted my attention. On the footpath in front of the Madras Mount Road Post Office, there was a pile of brand new books for fifty paise each. Actually they were copies of the same book, an elegant paperback of American origin. ‘Special low-priced student edition, in connection with the 50th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution’.

Questions :
(a) What attracted the writer and why ?
(b) Where did the writer find new books ?
(c) What do you understand by ‘paper back’ ?
(d) Why those books on footpath were so cheap ?
Answers:
(a) Anything at a reduced price attracted the attention of the writer because his pockets were not full of money.
(b) On the footpath in front of the Madras Mount Road Post Office, the writer found new books.
(c) Paperback is a type of book characterized by a thick paper or paperboard cover, and stick together with glue rather than stitches or staples.
(d) Those books on footpath were so cheap because those were the books, special low-priced student edition, in connection with the 50th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution.

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

Indigo Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

Indigo Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
How did Rajkumar Shukla establish that he was resolute?
Answer:
Rajkumar Shukla was a peasant from Champaran. He wanted Gandhiji to come with him to accompany him to Champaran. At that time Gandhiji was very busy. But Shukla accompanied Gandhiji everywhere. Therefore, he had been described as resolute.

Question 2.
How was Gandhiji treated at Rajendra Prasad’s house?
Answer:
The servants at Rajendra Prasad knew Shukla as a peasant who pestered their master to help the indigo sharecroppers. But they thought that Gandhiji belonged to some low caste. Therefore they didn’t allow him to draw water from the well.

Question 3.
What were the terms of the indigo contract between the British landlords and the Indian peasants?
Answer:
The landlords compelled all tenahts to plant three twentieths or 15 per cent of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. This was done by a long-term contract.

Question 4.
What did the landlords do when they know that Germany had developed synthetic indigo?
Answer:
The landlords came to know that Germany had developed synthetic indigo. Now producing natural indigo was not profitable for them. But very cunningly they hid that fact from the peasants. They instead obtained agreements from the sharecroppers to pay ‘ them compensation for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement.

Question 5.
Why did many sharecroppers sign the agreement letters willingly? What did the others do who had not signed the letters?
Answer:
The sharecropping system was irksome to the peas-ants. They signed the agreement letters willingly. Those who resisted engaged lawyers; the landlords hired thugs.

Question 6.
Why did Gandhiji meet Secretary of the British landlord’s association? How was he treated by him?
Answer:
Gandhiji arrived Chamaparan to get the facts. Therefore he visited the Secretary of the British landlord’s association. The secretary told him that they could give no information to an outsider.

Question 7.
Why did Gandhiji go to Muzzafarapur? Where did he stay there?
Answer:
Muzzafarpur was enroute to Champaran. To obtain more information about sharecropping system he went there. He decided to stay at Professor Malkani’s house. He was a teacher in a government school.

Question 8.
Why did Gandhiji chide the lawyers of Muzza-farpur?
Answer:
Gandhiji chided the lawyers for collecting big fee from the peasants. He said that he had come to the conclusion that they should stop going to courts. Taking such cases to the courts did little good. Where the peasants were so crushed and fear-stricken, law courts were useless. The real relief for them was to be free from fear.

Question 9.
How did the peasants of Champaran react when they came to know about the arrival of Gandhiji?
Answer:
The news of Gandhiji’s advent and of the nature of his mission spread quickly through Muzzafarpur and to Champaran. Sharecroppers from Champaran began arriving on foot and by conveyance to see their champion.

Question 10.
Why did Gandhiji feel that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless?
Answer:
Gandhiji felt that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless. Where the peasants were so crushed and fear-stricken, law courts were useless. The real relief for them was to be free from fear.

Question 11.
How did Champaran peasants react when they came to know that a Mahatma had come to help them?
Answer:
When the Champaran peasants came to know that a Mahatma had come to help them and he was in trouble with the authorities they came in large numbers to Motihari. Thousands of them hold demon¬strations around the courthouse. The officials felt themselves helpless.

Question 12.
What made the lieutenant-governor drop the case against Gandhiji?
Answer:
Thousands of peasants came in support of Gandhiji. The authorities felt that they could not control them and the condition of law and order could deteriorate. The pressure of the peasants was increasing. On the other hand, Gandhiji refuse to have any bail. Therefore the lieutenant-general dropped the case against Gandhiji.

Question 13.
Why did Gandhiji tell the court that he was involved in a ‘conflict of duties’?
Answer:
Gandhiji said in the court he was involved in ‘conflict of duties’. On the one hand, he didn’t want to set a bad example as a lawbreaker; on the other hand, he wanted to render humanitarian and national service for which he had come to Champaran.

Question 14.
How was civil disobedience won for the first time in India?
Answer:
The judge said that he could not deliver his judgement for several days because of the overwhelming support to Gandhiji. However, he was allowed to remain at liberty. Several days later, Gandhiji received a written communication from the magistrate informing him that the Lieutenant-General had decided to drop the case against him. In this way the civil disobedience won for the first time in India.

Question 15.
How much did the planters ready to refund to the peasants? How did Gandhiji react to it?
Answer:
The planters wanted to prolong the dispute in some way. Therefore, they offered to refund only 25 per cent of the money they extracted illegally from the peasants. Gandhiji at once agreed to it thus breaking the deadlock.

Question 16.
Why did Gandhiji agree for only 25 per cent refund?
Answer:
Gandhiji knew that the planters wanted to prolong the dispute in some way or the other. But he proved too smart for them. He at once agreed to their offer of 25 per cent refund. In this way the planters had to part with some of their money and also their prestige.

Question 17.
What social work did Gandhiji do in the villages of Champaran?
Answer:
Gandhiji opened primary schools there. Many of his disciples came to volunteer their services. Health condition of the place was miserable. Gandhiji got a doctor to volunteer his services for six months.

Question 18.
Why was Gandhiji against taking the help of Charles Freer Andrews?
Answer:
Charles Freer Andrews became Gandhiji’s disciple at Champaran. The lawyers thought that it would be good for them if they had an Englishman with them. But Gandhiji was deadly against it. He said taking help of an Englishman would show the weakness of their heart.

Question 19.
Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?
Answer:
Rajkumar Shukla was a peasant from Champaran. He wanted Gandhiji to come with him to accompany him to Champaran. At that time Gandhiji was very busy. But Shukla accompanied Gandhiji everywhere. Therefore, he had been described as resolute.

Question 20.
Why do you think that the servants thought Gandhiji to be another peasant?
Answer:
Gandhiji wore very simple clothes. His complexion was dark and he was thin. In this way, his appear-ance matched a peasant of that days. Therefore, the servants thought Gandhiji to be another peasant.

Question 21.
List the places that Gandhiji visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran.
Answer:
First of all Gandhiji went to Patna at Rajendra Prasad’s house. From there he went to Muzzafarpur to obtain more information about the sharecropping system. There he stayed at Professor Malkani’s house and from there he went to Champaran.

Question 22.
What did the peasants pay the British land¬lords as rent? What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo?
Answer:
The peasants worked on large estates owned by the British planters. The landlords compelled all the peasants to crop three twentieths or 15 per cent of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. The planters came to know that the Germany had developed synthetic indigo.

Producing natural indigo was not profitable. The price of the synthetic indigo would be much less than the natural indigo. But they hid this information from the share¬croppers. Instead they demanded compensation from the peasants to release them from this system.

Question 23.
The events in this part of the text illustrate Gandhiji’s method of working. Can you identify some instances of his method and link them to his ideas of satayagraha and non-violence?
Answer:
Gandhiji believed in the path of truth and non-vio-lence. He did nothing that is morally wrong. He fol- . lowed the path of non-violence against the British. Gandhiji’s path was the path of satayagraha, it means protest for truth by adopting non-violent methods. One of the biggest examples of it is the Dandi March.

Question 24.
Why did Gandhiji agree to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers?
Answer:
The British planters Wanted some excuse to prolong the dispute between them and the sharecroppers. They offered only 25 per cent refund. They thought that perhaps Gandhiji would ask for full refund. But Gandhiji agree to their offer and broke the dead lock. For him the amount of refund was not important. The landlords had been obliged to part with some of their money and also prestige. Before that they thought themselves above law. As a result, the planters abandoned their estates, which were reverted to the peasants.

Question 25.
How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?
Answer:
The episode of Chamapran had a great effect on the peasants. They saw they had rights and defenders. They learned courage. Also, the British planters abandoned their estates, which were reverted to the peasants.

Question 26.
Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning-point in his life?
Answer:
The episode of Champaran proved that the Indians couldn’t be harassed in their own country. It gave courage to the normal Indians against the dreaded power of the British. Gandhiji thought that it to be a small problem. But due to this incident he decided to urge the departure of the British. It was here where the civil disobedience was first time succeeded. In this way the episode of Champaran proved to be a turning point in Gandhiji’s life.

Question 27.
What was the attitude of the average Indian 1 in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home rule’?
Answer:
In smaller localities the people were afraid to show sympathy for advocates of home rule. They were so crushed and frightened by the dreaded power of the British that it was impossible for them to support even the idea of home rule.

Question 28.
How do we know that ordinary people too con-tributed to the freedom movement?
Answer:
In the given text it was only due to the support of ordinary people that the sharecroppers of Champaran could get justice. When Gandhiji was arrested in Motihari, the ordinary people flocked on the roads in large numbers, as a result, the government had to drop the case against Gandhiji. This Champaran episode was just a glimpse of the freedom movement. Thus, from this episode, we can gauge the role of ordinary people in the freedom movement.

Indigo Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Who was Rajkumar Shukla? What did he want from Gandhiji?
Answer:
Rajkumar Shukla was a peasant from Champaran. He visited Gandhiji in 1942 at his ashram in Sevagram, in Central India. He wanted that Gandhiji should accompany him to his village in Champaran district. He described to Gandhiji about himself and his district. He told Gandhiji the peasants of Champaran were sharecroppers. Rajkumar Shukla was illiterate but resolute.

He had came to the Congress session to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar, and somebody told him to speak to Gandhiji. At that time, Gandhiji was very busy. Shukla accompanied him everywhere in India. For weeks he never left Gandhiji’s side.

Impressed by the sharecropper’s tenacity and story Gandhiji said, “I have to be in Calcutta on such-and-such a date. Come and meet me and take me from there.” Shukla reached at the appointed spot in Calcutta when Gandhiji arrived. He waited till Gandhiji was free. Then Gandhiji went with him to Patna by train.

Question 2.
What information did Gandhiji get about the sharecropping system in Champaran?
Answer:
The chief commercial crop of Champaran was indigo. The British landlords compelled all the ten-ants to plant 15% of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. This was done by a long-term contract. Then the land-lords came to know that the Germany had developed synthetic indigo. Now producing natural indigo was not at all profitable. Very cunningly the British landlords obtained agreements from the sharecroppers to pay them compensation for being released

from the 15% agreement. Many sharecroppers signed it willingly while the others engaged lawyers. The landlords hired thugs. Meanwhile, the information about synthetic indigo reached the illiterate peasants. Who had paid the compensation wanted their money back.

Question 3.
Describe Gandhiji’s visit at Muzzafarpur.
Answer:
Gandhiji decided to go to Muzzafarpur, which was en route to Champaran. He wanted to obtain more information about the conditions there. He stayed for two days in the home of Professor Malkani who was a teacher in a government school. It was not an ordinary thing those days for a government professor to harbour a man like him. In smaller localities, the Indians were afraid to show sympathy for the advocates of home-rule. The news of the advent of Gandhiji spread quickly to Champaran and Muzzafarpur. Sharecroppers in large number came to see their champion.

Gandhiji talked to the lawyers about the court cases of the sharecroppers. They brief him about the cases and also reported him about the size of their fees. Gandhiji chided the lawyers for collecting big fee from the sharecroppers. He said that it was useless to go to the courts when the peasants were so crushed and fear-stricken.

Question 4.
Describe the incident related to Motihari.
Or
How can you say that the civil disobedience was succeeded first time in modern India?
Answer:
Gandhiji visited British official commissioner of Trihut division. He tried to bully Gandhiji and ordered him to leave Trihut. Gandhiji proceeded to Motihari, the capital of Champaran. A large number of people greeted him at the railway station. A report came that a peasant had been maltreated in a nearby village. Gandhiji decided to go there. Gandhji was a given a notice to leave Champaran immediately. Gandhiji signed the receipt and wrote on it that he would disobey the order.

As a result Gandhiji was ordered to present in the court the next day. The next morning a lot of peasants had gathered in the town of Motihari to support Gandhiji. The officials had to seek Gandhiji’s help to control the crowd. However they got the clear message that the Indians couldn’t be ordered in their own country. The government was baffled. They wanted to postpone the trial.

Gandhiji protested against it. He told the court that he was not a lawbreaker, but he had duties towards his countrymen. In the end the judge said he would not deliver any judgement for several days. Gandhiji was allowed to remain at liberty. After a few days the case against him was dropped. The civil disobedience was suc¬ceeded first time in modern India.

Question 5.
Why is the Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian struggle for Independence?
Answer:
Gandhiji thought that the problem of the sharecroppers could be solved within a few days. But he stayed there for months. The landlords were compelled to refund some of the money they extracted from the peasants illegally and also they had to part with their prestige. Eventually they abandoned their estates which were reverted to the peasants.

The peasants came to know that they had rights and the defender of their rights. Before that the planters had behaved as lords above the law. The government was compelled to bow before Gandhiji and the case against him was dropped. The civil disobedience was succeeded for the first time in India. Therefore the Champaran episode is considered as the beginning of the Indian struggle for Independence.

Question 6.
Gandhiji’s loyality was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was loyalty to living human beings. Why did Gandhiji continue his stay in Champaran even after indigo sharecropping disappeared?
Answer:
Gandhiji was able to win the battle of Champaran for the poor sharecroppers. They got their land back from the British landlords. But Gandhiji continued his stay there. Gandhiji saw the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages and wanted to do something about it. Many of his disciples joined him in this noble cause. His youngest son and his wife also arrived there from the ashram. Primary schools were opened in six villages.

Kasturbai taught the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community sanitation.Health conditions were miserable. Gandhiji got a doctor volunteer. He offered his services for six months. Three medicines were available castor oil, quinine and sulphur ointment. Anybody who showed a coated tongue was given a dose of castor oil; anybody with malaria fever received quinine and castor oil; anybody with skin eruptions received ointment with castor oil.

Gandhiji’s loyalty was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty towards human beings. His politics was intertwined with the practical day-to-day problems of the millions.

Question 7.
The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhiji’s life. Elucidate.
Answer:
Gandhiji considered the Champaran episode a turning point in his life. His revolutionary vision inspired many people. The episode was linked with day to day problems of the poor peasants of Champaran. They were compelled by the British landlords to crop Indigo in 15% of their total holdings and surrender the whole harvest as rent. When they discovered that synthetic Indigo had been developed by Germany, they no longer needed the harvest of the peasants. But they hid this fact from the peasants.

Instead they demanded compensation from the poor peasants to release them from the 15% agreement. Some signed willingly, while others engaged lawyers. The landlords hired thugs. Gandhiji helped the poor peasants by protesting and civil disobedience. At last, he was successful in freeing the peasants from the exploitation. Many other movements took place after t that. It also meant the victory of civil disobedience for the first time in India.

Question 8.
Why was Gandhiji against taking help from Charles Freer Andrews? What values of life are conveyed by this?
Answer:
Early in the Champaran action, Charles Freer Andrews, the English pacifist became Gandhiji’s devoted follower. He came to bid Gandhiji farewell before leaving for his duty to the Fiji Islands. Gandhiji’s lawyer friends thought it would be a good idea for Andrews to stay at Champaran and help them. Andrews was willing if Gandhiji agreed.

But Gandhiji strongly opposed it. He said to have Mr. Andrews on their side only because he happened to be an Englishman is wrong. It would show only the weakness of their spirit. They were fighting for a just cause and they should believe in their strength. This incident showed that self-reliance and self-help are most important to achieve any goal.

Question 9.
How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.
Answer:
Gandhiji was able to influence the lawyers in several ways. First he came to know about the size of fee they collected from the peasants to fight their cases in court. He chided them for that. He told them that taking such cases to courts were not good when the peasants were so crushed and fear-stricken. When it was feared that Gandhiji might be put to prison they consulted among themselves.

They realised that if Gandhiji who was totally stranger, and yet ready to go to prison for the sake of peasants; it would be shameful for them to go homes since they were not only the residents of the adjoining districts but also had claimed to help the peasants. Therefore they decided to follow Gandhiji in jail in pairs. In Champaran an Englishman, Charles Freer Andrews became Gandhiji’s disciple.

The lawyers throught that it would be of great help to them if Andrews supported them. But Gandhiji told that it would show only the weakness of their soul to seek help of Mr Andrews only because he happened to be an Englishman. They should learn to be self-reliant.

Question 10.
“Freedom from fear is more important than legal justice for the poor”. Do you think that the poor of India are free from fear after Independence?
Answer:
The episode of Champaran represents the exploitation of the poor Indian peasants by the British planters. At that time India was under British rule. But even after seventy years of Independence there is Champaran everywhere in India. The poor are still exploited by the bureaucrats, moneylenders and politicians. The moneylenders charge unimaginably high rates of interest from the farmers.

No wonder the incidents of suicides by the farmers are on the rise. Our constitution has given equal rights to all Indians. But in fact the poor can’t enjoy any of the rights given to them by the constitution. They are remembered only at the time of elections. Though they had got political freedom yet this freedom is shameful.

Indigo Extra Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read, the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow:

(Para-1)

Under an ancient arrangement, the Champaran peas-ants were sharecroppers. Rajkumar Shukla was one of them. He was illiterate but resolute. He has come to the Congress session to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar, and somebody had probably said, “Speak to Gandhi.”

Questions :
(a) What was an ancient arrangement ?
(b) Who was Rajkumar Shukla ?
(c) Why Rajkumar Shukla had come to Congress session ?
(d) What, somebody had said to Rajkumar Shukla ?
Answers:
(a) An ancient arrangement was sharecropping. The Champaran peasants were share croppers.
(b) Rajkumar Shukla was an illiterate but resolute peasant from Champaran, Bihar.
(c) Rajkumar Shukla had come to Congress session to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar.
(d) Somebody had said to Rajkumar Shukla, “Speak to Gandhi.”

(Para-2)

The news of Gandhi’s advent and of the nature of his mission spread quickly through Muzzafarpur and to Champaran. Sharecroppers from Champaran began arriv-ing on foot and by conveyance to see their Champion. Muzzafarpur lawyers called on Gandhi to brief him; they frequently represented peasant groups in court; they told him about their cases and reported the size of their fee.

Questions :
(a) What was the news at Muzzafarpur ?
(b) How and why did the sharecroppers reach from Champaran ?
(c) What was the role of Muzzafarpur’s lawyers ?
(d) Name the chapter and the writer.
Answers:
(a) The news of Gandhi’s advent and of the nature of his mission was the news at Muzzafarpur.
(b) Sharecroppers from Champaran reached on foot and by Conveyance to see their Champion.
(c) Muzzafarpur’s lawyers were frequently representating peasant groups in court.
(d) ‘Indigo’ is the chapter written by ‘Louis Fischer’.

(Para-3)

A report came in that a peasant had been maltreated in a nearby village. Gandhi decided to go and see; the next morning he started out on the back of an elephant. He had not proceeded far when the police supritendent’s messanger overtook him and ordered him to return to town in his carriage. Gandhi complied. The messenger drove Gandhi home where he served him with an official notice to quit Champaran immediately. Gandhi signed a receipt for the notice and wrote on it that he would disobey the order.
The consequence, Gandhi received a summons of appear in court the next day.

Questions :
(a) What report came and what did Gandhi decide ?
(b) What happened when Gandhi was on the way to the nearby village ?
(c) What did the messenger do with Gandhi ?
(d) What was Gandhi’s reaction to the notice and what consequence had he to face ?
Answers:
(a) A report came in that a peasant had been maltreated in a nearby village. Gandhi decided to go and see.
(b) When Gandhi was on the way to the nearby village, the police supertendent’s messenger overtook him and ordered him to return to town in his carriage.
(c) The messenger served Gandhi with an official notice to quit Champaran immediately.
(d) Gandhi signed a receipt for the notice and wrote on it that he would disobey the order. In consequence, Gandhi received a summons to appear in court the next day.

(Para-4)

What about the injustice to the sharecroppers, Gandhi demanded. The lawyers withdrew to consult. Rajendra Prasad has recorded the upshot of their consultations : “They thought, amongst themselves, that Gandhi was totally a stranger, and yet he was prepared to go to prision for the sake of the peasants : If they, on the other hand, being not only residents of the adjoining districts but also those who claimed to have served these peasants, should go home, it would be shameful desertion.”

Questions :
(a) What did Gandhi demand to the lawyers ?
(b) What was the reaction of the lawyers ?
(c) What was the conclusion of their consultations ?
(d) What would be- shameful desertion ?
Answers:
(a) Ghandi demanded the lawyers about the injustice to the sharecroppers.
(b) The lawyers withdrew to consult.
(c) According to their consultations : they, if would go home being local residents, would surely be shameful and a defeat to them in that war of injustice.
(d) If they should go home, claiming to have served those peasants, it would be shameful desertion.

(Para-5)

They thought he would demand repayment in full of the money which they had illegally and deceitfully extorted from the sharecroppers. He asked only 50 per cent. “There he seemed adamant,” writes Reverend J.Z. Hodge, a British missionary in Champaran who observed the entire episode at close range. “Thinking probably that he would not give way, the representative of the planters offered to refund to the extent of 25 per cent, and to his amazement Mr. Gandhi took him at his word, thus breaking the deadlock.”

Questions :
(a) What landlords had done with the sharecroppers ?
(b) Who was Reverend J. Z. Hodge ?
(c) What did the representative of the planters offer to refund ?
(d) How did Mr. Gandhi break the deadlock ?
Answers:
(a) Landlords had illegally and deceitfully extorted money from the sharecroppers.
(b) Reverend J. Z. Hodge was a British missionary in Champaran who observed the entire episode at close range.
(c) Representative of the planters offered to refund to the extent of 25 per cent only.
(d) Mr. Gandhi broke the deadlock by getting agree to the offer of 25 per cent refund by British planters.

(Para-6)

Gandhi never contented himself with large political or economic solutions. He saw the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages and wanted to do something about it immediately. He appealed for teachers. Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh, two young men who had just joined Gandhi as disciples, and their wives, volunteered for the work. Several more came from Bombay, Poona and other distant parts of the land. Devdas, Gandhi’s youngest son, arrived from the ashram and so did Mrs. Gandhi. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturbai taught the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community sanitation.

Questions :
(a) What did Gandhi observe in the Champaran villages ?
(b) Whom did Gandhi appeal and why ?
(c) From Gandhi’s family, who came to Champaran ?
(d) What did Kasturbai do to the people of Champaran ?
Answers:
(a) Gandhi, in Champaran villages observed the cultural and social backwardness and wanted to do something immediately
(b) Gandhi appealed Mahadev Desal and Narhari Parikh, two young teachers, to volunteer for the work.
(c) Devdas, Gandhi’s youngest son and Mrs. Gandhi Casturbai came to Champaran.
(d) Kasturbal, Gandhi’s wife taught the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community sanitation to the people of Champaran.