Q9 of 15 Page 1

Answer any one of the following questions in 50-60 words:

(i) How does Lord Weston equip himself to fight against the danger that he sees a threat to his life?


(ii) Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction. The Monkey's Paw is a tale of warning. The short story is a warning to us all about what is really important in life. Elucidate from the play.


(iii) What apprehensions might Sergeant Morris have had in handing over the paw to anyone else? What was the basis of his apprehension?

(i) A prominent judge, Lord Weston discovers a piece of paper with a message written on it – “Remember Caesar!” Being too pompous and self-important, Weston takes this message for a warning for him, by someone who was planning to assassinate/murder him. Lord Weston believes that he will be assassinated like Caeser because it was 15th of March, the day Julius Caesar was assassinated. As a measure to fight against the danger that he sees a threat to his lif, he orders to get all the doors and windows barred, locked and chained. He equips himself by keeping a revolver ready. He also sees ilex tree as the source of shooting and insulates himself. He puts the parcel into the water. All these actions make him look ridiculous at the end.

(ii) Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction. The Monkey's Paw is a tale of warning. The short story is a warning to us all about what is really important in life. This play makes us question our moral values. The warning of the paw is that you need to be really careful what you wish for. The Whites are warned that the outcome of the wishes is not what they think it is. They have a home and food and all of their basic needs but they wanted to have what is unattainable to them. They want for nothing, as Mr. White mentions when he thinks of what to make as his first wish. He wishes out of greed, not out of necessity. They face the consequences of upsetting an equilibrium and asking for too much. It is especially telling that Herbert, the one who wants wealth and fame the most, is the one taken by death. Even the second wish is selfish and not rational – it is purely driven by emotion and what Mrs. White wants. This greed leads to disappointment and the downfall of the Whites; greed and lust for something one does not need can lead to tragic consequences.


(iii) Morris is tall and well built. He visits the Whites and regales them with exotic tales from his adventures abroad, particularly in India. He mentions the monkey's paw to them but is reluctant to let them have it; his demeanour and words suggest he is frightened of the talisman's power. Morris somewhat reluctantly shows the Whites, the paw and declares that an old Indian fakir placed a spell on it. The paw granted three wishes to three people and the last wish of the first owner was of his own death. Knowing that the paw had already done enough mischief, he wanted to sell it and had an unpleasant experience with the paw.


More from this chapter

All 15 →
8

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

a. Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?


Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find


Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,


Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;


Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,


Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook


Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:


i. Name the poet and the poem from where the above extract has been taken.


ii. Whom has the poet compared Autumn within the above lines?


iii. Identify the phrase which reveals the comparison.


iv. Name two places where Autumn can be found according to the stanza.


v. Identify and name the poetic device used in the fourth line of the above extract.

 8

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

b Yes; there are in the backward past


Soft hours to which we turn –


Hours which, at distance, mildly shine,


Shine on, but never burn.


(i) Name the poet and the poem from where the above extract has been taken.


(ii) What does the poet mean by “Soft hours”?


(iii) Explain briefly the impact of such moments.


(iv) What is the learning poet gets from his experience of his walk in the moonlit night?


(v) Identify and name the poetic device used in the above lines.

 10

Answer any two of the following in 80-100 words each:

(i) How does the rhythm of waves, birds and insects become the million fold chorus of life?


(ii) Explain: “If you don’t expect too much too quickly, you’ll find your freedom, a room of your own.”


(iii) Rakesh was deeply aware of the sacrifices made by his parents to give him an education. How did he show his gratitude and devotion to them? Give examples from the text to justify your answer.


(iv) “Therefore the school and the teacher must guard against employing the easy method of creating individual ambition in order to induce the pupils to diligent work.” Elaborate this view of Einstein on Education with reference to the text.

 10

Answer any one of the following questions in 120-150 words:

(i) How did Quinquart outwit Robichon and qualify to win the hand of the captivating, Suzanne? Describe.


(ii) “Action is the end of thought,” says Romain Rolland. Why do people avoid action? What choice do all of us have of living? Give a reasoned answer.


(iii) Nature had made the two girls, Marian and Freda, totally different from each other and yet both of them were “lonely” in their own ways. Elucidate.