Unit-2
Language through literature
Q-1 .Why was Mini called a chatterbox?
Answer: Mini was called a chatterbox because she could not live without chatting all the time.
Q-2 Why was Mini afraid of the Kabuliwallah?
Answer: Mini had heard that Kabuliwallah caught children, put them in their sacks and took them away. So, she was afraid of the Kabuliwallah.
Q-3 Why was the Kabuliwallah arrested?
Answer: Rehman, the Kabuliwallah, had stabbed a man who owed him money. For this crime, he was arrested.
Q.4 Why was the Kabuliwallah shocked to see Mini?
Answer: He was shocked to see that Mini, the little girl he had known, had grown into such a beautiful woman.
Q5. What did Mini’s father give him?
Answer: Mini’s father took out some money and gave it to Rehman so that he could also see his own daughter after so many years.
Q.6 Mention the human qualities that you observe in the story.
Answer: This chapter narrates a story between an attachment and human bonding between
Mini and the Kabuliwallah. There is a mention of the girl’s lively interaction and love with her father. At the end, Mini’s father shows a superior human quality of kindness by giving the Kabuliwallah money so he could visit his daughter.
Q-7 Tick (✓) for the correct statements and cross (✗) for the wrong statements:
1.Mini could not live without chatting all the time. (✓)
2.Rehman was a big bearded pathan. (✓)
3.Mini did not forget the Kabuliwallah. (✗)
4.Mini’s father did not help Rehman with some money. (✗)
5.Mini’s father had to cut down the expenses of the wedding. (✓)
B. “ Am I Blue?” by Alice Walker.
Q-8 : What is the theme of the story “Am I Blue”? What lesson does it convey?
Answer: In “Am I Blue” Alice Walker has enabled us to feel the powerful emotional shock which animals have to bear because of indifferent and mean treatment they receive from human beings. The story also puts forward the plea that man should rise above the selfish and opportunistic attitude which he has adopted towards animals. Man should consider them as living creatures who ought to recognize the full stature of their being. He should particularly take cognizance of the fact that animals have strong ties of affection and companionship and they also have a sturdy sense of independence which should be respected. We should also not ignore the ways by which animals try to communicate with one another and even with human beings who live close to them. The story makes a plea that animals should not be used as mere objects for personal gains.
Q-9 How does Walker characterize blue?
A-9 Blue' can symbolize sadness and loneliness and, therefore, it is represented as an allegoric name for the horse. So, Walker manages to render frustration in the horse's expression when the breeding process is finished and Blue had to be taken away.
Q-10 When was Am I Blue by Alice Walker written?
A-10. Alice Walker's “Am I Blue?”was written in (1986), the protagonist of which is a horse named Blue, reveals Walker's interest in animals and her criticism of the harsh ways human beings treat them.
Q-11: Why does the writer call animals “completed creations”?
A-11: The writer calls animals “completed creations” because it is their basic disposition to express themselves as they are and not partially. Man, in his childhood, can learn how effectively animals communicate but he tends to forget this when he grows up. But animals don’t change and continue to express themselves fully in all their gestures. Man grows and develops, adds new dimensions to his being through history. Animals, on the other hand, remain fully formed as nature makes them. Theirs is not a partially formed being. The fact that animals never change their disposition makes them “completed creations”.
C. 'If you are wrong Admit it' by Dale Carnegie
Q.12 What does the author wants to convey through the essay ' If you are wrong Admit it' ?
A-12 The author tries to convey from this essay that the spontaneous admittance of one’s mistake win them the respect they wouldn’t have received otherwise. Carbegie believed that self- criticism was better than having to listen to criticism from alien lips. Admittance of mistakes, thus, works in each one’s favour. He says that when we are right, we should try to win people gently and tactfully to our way of thinking.
D. Engine Troubles by R K Narayan
Q-13 What is the central idea of the story engine trouble?
A-13 In Engine Trouble by R.K Narayan we have the theme of practicality, hope, luck, responsibility and authority. Taken from his Malgudi Days collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Narayan may be exploring the theme of practicality.
Q-14. What is the irony in the lesson engine trouble?
A-14. It is a natural calamity that comes as a stroke of luck for our protagonist and solves all his problems. Again Narayan shows the irony of how a calamity that claimed several towns bears good tidings for the owner of the engine.
Q-15 Why does the Swamiji leave the town in anger in engine trouble?
A-15 In return, he demanded that the assistant would drive it where he wanted. People gathered to watch the Yogic feats of Swamiji. But the magistrate issued an order prohibiting Swamiji to do it inside their jurisdiction. The Swamiji got angry and went away in great rage.
Q-16 Why did the effort to move the road engine end in failure?
A-16 Due to the earthquake the narrator's problems with the road engine have been resolved. To help matters the narrator has also been paid for any losses he may have incurred, while trying to move or get rid of the road engine.
Q-17 What is gaiety land?
A-17 Gaiety Land is the name of an institution. This institution was located in the Gymkhana Ground and was owned by a showman. It offered the people residing in the town different types of entertainment in the form of slide shows, games and fun.
Q-18 What did the narrator find waiting for him when he was released by the police?
A-18 The narrator found many expenses waiting for him when he was released by the police. He had to pay Joseph for steering the engine, pay for medicine for the elephant's knee, pay 8 annas for each of the 50 coolies, the cost of rebuilding the wall and demand to move the engine.
Q-19 How did talkative man get rid of his road engine?
A-19 An earthquake moved the engine from its place and fitted in a disused well like a cork. The owner of the well agreed to pay expenses that the engine had brought to him. He agreed to withdraw all complaints and charges against him. Thus, the Talkative Man finally got rid of it.
Q-20 What did narrator win in the fair in the story engine trouble?
A-20 In the story, the narrator wins a massive road engine at the fair. He is initially happy to have won the prize but soon becomes disillusioned with his win. This is because he cannot move the engine off the fairgrounds by his own strength.
