Discuss the following questions and write the answers in your notebook.

Appearances are deceptive. Discuss with reference to the two boys.

The statement 'Appearances are deceptive' is very true when it comes to the two boys - Nicola and Jacopo. The author had bought wild strawberries from them, even when his driver Luigi advised him against it, after taking into account the shabby appearance of the two boys. After that, he was surprised to see the boys working different types of jobs like polishing and shining shoes. He also noticed that the boys did not spend money on clothes or food as they had a simple diet of black bread of a few figs. He thought that the boys were saving money to immigrate to the United States of America. But later he saw them visiting their sister in the hospital. They had been earning money to pay for the treatment of their sister.

It can thus be said that 'appearances are deceptive'. The boys were not saving money for themselves, but they were selflessly earning to afford their sister's treatment.