Richard Matheson's "Button Button

BUTTON BUTTON
Richard Matheson
Q1.Why did Norma consider the tone and attitude of Mr. Steward offensive?
Ans. Norma considered Mr. Steward’s tone and attitude offensive because he had not paid
any attention to her indifferent attitude especially when he said, “It would prove very
valuable, Monetarily”.
Q2. Why did Arthur disagrees with his wife?
Ans. Arthur opposed his wife’s idea/ scheme and he considered it assassination to get
someone killed, which would be a crime against humanity.
Q3. Why did Norma persuade her husband to agree with her?
Ans. Norma persuaded her husband to accept the offer of fifty thousand dollars solely
because she saw the possibility of taking trip to Europe, a chance to buy a cottage on the
Island and an opportunity to have a nicer apartment, nicer furniture, nicer clothes, a car etc.
Q4. What were the reasons Norma gave to her husband to accept the offer?
Ans. She gave the following reasons for accepting the offer:-

a. Some eccentric millionaire might be playing the
games with people.
a. An international organization probably doing it for a
research project and they wanted to know what
average people would do under such a circumstance.
a. That the concerned group was just saying someone
would die so that its member would study reactions
i.e. if there would be guilt or anxiety.
Q5. Why did Mr. Steward continue persuading Norma?
Ans. When Mr. Steward observed that Arthur was not yielding to his offer, he began
persuading Norma because she had a weak character and had shown keen interest in the
offer.
Q6. What was the message Norma received on pushing the button?
Ans. After she pushed the button, she received the tragic news of her husband’s death in a
subway accident as he was pushed by the shoving crowed from the platform in front of the
train.

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MU H A M MA D A Z A M, L E C T U R E R , F G S D C O L L E G E , WA H C A N T.
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Q7. What is the significance of Arthur’s life insurance policy?
Ans. Ironically, Arthur’s life insurance policy for $25,000 dollar, with double indemnity
(compensation) in case of sudden/ accidental death was equal to the money ($50,000) that
she desired to get from the offer given by Mr. Steward. In other words, she had to pay a
very high cost for the execution of her desire.
Q8. Did Norma remain normal on hearing the news of the accident of her husband?
Ans. On hearing the news of her husband’s accident/death, her whole existence shook with
this unbearable loss and she started reacting hysterically, she was extremely distressed and
her life lost its significance.

Q1. Draw character sketch of Arthur?
Ans.. In this poem, Arthur has been portrayed as a simple, humane and celebrated
citizen. He is strong-minded person, who was greatly shocked by his wife’s wistful wish
for radical prosperity at the cost of humanity. Arthur insists strongly that he hates the
idea of having someone killed for money. He considers the idea of killing a great waste
and heinous crime against humanity. Norma, despite, husband’s objection and rejection
of the idea, she was ambitious to execute it and was not ready to give up at any cost. It
appears that Arthur got himself killed to Give Norma an opportunity to fulfill her alluring
prospect. i.e. an amount of ($50,000) in the form of insurance money.
Q2. Why didn’t Norma remain true to her husband?
Ans. Norma has been presented as a woman of frail soul and character. She belongs to
a working class with a passionate desire to uplift the standard of living, in no time. She
desires to visit the fascinating sites /places all over Europe and to have a cottage on an
island. The button device acts as a possible scheme of getting rich, which results in an
unbearable loss and everlasting misery i.e. i.e. the death of her husband. Mr. Steward
rightly says that she did not know her own husband and failed to understand him. She
conflicted herself between materialism and morality i.e. money and her husband.
Though she got her desire fulfilled, but she had to wear a golden sorrow.
Q3. Do you agree with Norma’s assertion that the death of someone you have
never seen is not important?
Ans. Murder or killing anyone, belonging to any land or religion, is a great crime against
humanity. Murder of a single person is the murder of whole humanity. It is a cruel
concept that the death of an unknown person is not important to us. Norma advocates
the idea of radical prosperity. She has blinded herself in the greed of $ 50,000. Mr.
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Steward incites her to use the button device as a short cut to wealth and prosperity.
Ironically, she gets the insurance money as reward but at the cost of unbearable loss.
Q4. What is the moral /theme of the story “Button Button”?
Ans. This tragic story highlights the theme of weakness of human character in the face
of worldly desires and temptation Norma’s flaw is that she considers the button device
as a source of taking trip to Europe, a chance to buy a cottage on the Island and an
opportunity to have a nicer apartment, nicer furniture, nicer clothes, a car etc. The moral
behind this story is also that man must be grateful to God for what ever He has
bestowed him in both prosperity and adversity. It is matter of fact that when man is
satisfied he becomes unbeliever and prays to God only when he is in trouble.
Moreover man must not run after the temporary worldly desires and ambitions which are
nothing as compared to the blessing of the world hereafter. In this story, Norma does
not mind causing death of unknown person, in order to become prosper. Though she
gets her desire fulfilled, but she had to wear a golden sorrow. Before this tragic event
and the offer made by Steward she has known no modesty. It is better to be lowly born
and be humble rather than perked by a glistening grief as it is remarked by
Shakespeare:It is better to be lowly born,
And range with humble livers content,
Than to be perked up in a glistening grief,
And wear a golden sorrow

CLEARING IN THE SKY
BY JESSE STUART
Q1. Why didn’t the old man follow the advice of the doctors?
Ans. The old man didn’t act upon the advice of the doctors because he had a large
family to support and he was the only earning member in his family. He took a bold step
and selected a small patch of land on the hill top, which he visited daily. All this exercise
helped him in regaining his lost power/energy. It is well said:

He conquers who endures. ~Persius
Q2. What did the doctors tell the old man?
Ans. All the doctors, whom the old man visited, advised him to spend the rest of his
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days with his family and told him not to take long walks. Some of them also suggested
him to sit still, but he paid no heed.
Q3. Had the son ever been there before?
Ans. The son visited the clearing in the sky frequently with his mother and father, when
he was six years old. His father also made a wooden plough, which the son lost in the
furrow. He visited it regularly with the exception of the last three years.
Q4. Why did the old man take the steep path?
Ans. The old man selected the steep path to regain and enhance his lost energies,
which proved very profitable as he got rid of all the diseases and live a happy health life
by defeating death. “It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious
life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated...it is finished when it
surrenders.” Similarly the old man was not ready to surrender.
Q5. What were the feelings of the old man at the age ?
Ans. At the age of seventy, the old man enjoyed the life full of warmth and real
achievement as he defeated death many time by not following the warnings of the
doctors. To prove the doctors wrong, he established a farm on the top of the hills and
kept on visiting it. He considered the farm as the fruit of his labour. He loved to touch
and smell soil that he prepared. He also showed his ardent desire to taste the fruit of his
form. As Isaac remarked, “Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the
afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that
demanded our best.”
Q6. Describe the physical appearance of the old man?
Ans. The old man is seventy years old with wrinkled red face and blue eyes. He has a
stick in his hand and a blue bandana on his shoulder, which he used for wiping sweat.
Despite his old age, he is still active and healthy. He has strong will power to act.
Q7. What is the theme of the story Clearing in the sky?
Ans. The story Clearing in the Sky reveals that man is not made for defeat, a man can
be destroyed but not defeated. In this simple story, the son reflects his father’s
determination, deep love for nature and the strength of human spirit. For 40 years, the
doctors warned him not to work, but he proved the doctors wrong through the strength
of his spirit and defeated death many times.
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Dark They Were Golden Eyed
Q1. Why did Harry want to go back to the earth?
Ans. Harry wanted to go back to the earth because he felt that his body tissues had
been drawn tight due to vacuum. He also felt himself to be submerged in a chemical
that would dissolve his intellect and disintegrate his past. He realized himself like a salt
of crystal in mountain stream, which would dissolve anyway.
Q2. Why did Mr. Bittering want to stay at mars?
Ans. He wanted to stay at Mars sue to the fear of atomic war going on the earth.
Moreover, the atom bomb had destroyed all the spaceship stations and rockets in New
York and he hoped someday, rocket would come to the Mars to take them back to the
earth.
Q3. What sort of Climate did the Bittering Family face at Mars?
Ans. The Martian Climate was dangerous and replete with chemical. Mr. Bittering felt
himself to be in the center of a vacuum, which would draw his soul from his body. The
climate had completely changed their appearance, they became dark coloured and
golden eyed. Everything on Mars was disintegrating gradually in the chemical climate.
Q4. What was the condition of the Bittering Family on hearing the news of war on
the earth?
Ans. Bittering family was extremely dejected on hearing the news of war on the earth.
Their hopes to return to the earth were shattered. They could hardly believe that they
had to live rest of their life on Mars with little chances of existence.
Q5. What was the condition of the house constructed by the Bittering family?
Ans. The house built by the Bittering family, underwent disintegration because of
chemical in air and Martian virus. At night, everything was covered by fog. The boards
had been warped out of shape. It was not an earth’s man atmosphere and everything
was losing its identity.
Q6.How social were the people of Mars?
Ans. The lieutenant told the Captain that Martians were friendly, dark people with
golden eyes. They were capable to learn English fast. He also reflected that they could
be made friends easily. Ironically, the Martian people were the same, who migrated from
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the Earth to Mars to live in peace and whose physical appearance underwent mutation,
so the Captain and Lieutenant could not identify them.
“Thank

you, Ma’am”
By Langston Hughes
Q1. What was the time when Roger tried to snatch the purse of the women?
Ans. It was about 11 O’ Clock, dark, when the boy came across her to snatch her purse.
Q2. What did happen to the boy when he tried to snatch the purse?
Ans. When the boy (Roger) tried to snatch the woman’s purse, the strap of the purse
was broken with the single tug, but Roger was not able to run away because his weight
and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance. Instead of,
moving away successfully he fell on his back on the sidewalk (Foot path).
Q3. What was the reaction of the woman?
Ans. After the incident, the woman simply turned around and kicked the boy right
square in his blue jeaned sitter. She bended down, picked up the boy up by his shirt
front, and shook him until his teeth rattled. But later, she became as polite and kind as a
mother.
Q4. What was the conduct/reaction of the people who saw the incident?
Ans. The passer by or the people had not shown any particular reaction or attitude.
They just stopped for a moment to know the matter.
Q5. How did the boy look physically?
Ans. He seems to be of fourteen or fifteen years, weak and was wearing tennis shoes
and blue jeans.
Q6. What was the condition of the boy when the woman gave him few jerks?
Ans. He was nervous and frightened. Sweat popped out on the boy’s face and he
began to struggle. He was sure that the woman would certainly send him to jail.
Q7. Why did the woman ask the boy to wash his face?
Ans . She wanted to make him clean and wanted to reform him as if he were her son
Q8. Why didn’t the boy run from the house of the woman?
Ans. The boy did not run away because he didn’t want to be mistrusted again as the
behaviour of the lady became polite and motherly.
Q9.Why didn’t the woman watch the boy while preparing dish?
Ans. She was sure that the boy must have been reformed by her polite treatment,
would not betray her again, that’s why she didn’t pay any attention to the boy while
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preparing dish.
Q10.What was the nature of the woman’s job?
Ans. Mrs. Jones worked in a hotel beauty shop, which stayed open late and was often
visited by blondes, red-heads, and Spanish women.

THE PIECE OF STRING
by Guy De Maupassant
Q1.Why did Manana accuse Hubert of picking the lost pocket-book?
Ans. Manana accused Hubert because he saw him picking something on the way to
the market place and kept on insisting that Hubert should be held responsible for the
loss of the pocket –book.
Q2.What did the people think of Hubert when they heard of the return of the
pocket-book by some other persons?
Ans. They held the same view as that of Manana. Although Hubert was innocent, yet
the villagers still held the view that he was to be blamed for picking up the pocket book
and they also held the view that Hubert sent it later to the Mayor just to save his own
skin.
Q3.Why did George give the pocket-book to his employer?
Ans. George handed it over to his employer solely because he desired it to be restored
to its owner, whose address he could not read as he was uneducated.
Q4. What did make Hubert shameful?
Ans. The gilt of being called a liar, made him ashamed. He considered better to die with
honour than to live without it.
Q5.Why did the people make fun of his innocence?
Ans. The people made fun of his innocence because they were habitual in fabricating,
such cock and bull stories. Another fact that he was poor and they also considered that
he would not be able to defend himself in the face of allegations.
Q6.Why did he keep claiming his innocence before his death?
Ans. He kept on claiming his innocence and tried his best to prove it. He hated to be
called a liar, even after his death. He did not want to live a life of dishonour and he
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considered his character as his destiny. It is well remarked by Thomas Hardy:Character is destiny;
And destiny is fate.
It is really a curse to live a life of disgrace and being abused.But still they can not
escape any punishment as James Russell Lowell remarked;
Truth forever on the scaffold
Wrong forever on the thorn
Yet that scaffold sways the future
And behind the dim unknown
Standeth God within the Shadow
Keeping watch above His own.

THE REWARD
Q1. What discussion was going on at the club?
Ans. The topic under discussion at the club was the determination versus opportunity
and their inter-relationship. Jorkens emphasized the importance of determination for
practical success in life, however, Terbut supported opportunity. He was of the view that
without opportunity, determination is fruitless.
Q2. What did Terbut think of Jorken’s argument?
Ans. Terbut opposed Jorken’s argument and said that opportunity is far more important
than determination. He gave the example of a person, who desired to be the a Skating
Champion of the Sahara but he might fail to achieve his target only due to lack of
money.
Q3. How did Jorkens convinced Terbut that a man can become a skating
Champion of the Sahara?
Ans. Jorkens convinced Terbut that a man could become a skating Champion of the
Sahara and could make money by building a skating-ring in the Sahara and would
organize a competition there.
Q4. How did Gorgios persuade his people to make his country strong?
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Ans. In order to convince his people, Gorgios joined politics and made fine speeches
preaching his ambition. He persuaded that the glory of their country would be multiplied
and they could win their rights from their enemies, if the seat of the court acrobat was
formally created.
Q5. What was the point of view of the parents of Gorgios?
Ans. The parents of Gorgios emphasized the importance of time and achievement of
ambitions in the early age. However, Gorgios always tried to prove them wrong like
other boys of his age. Later, he realized the importance of his parent advice while he
was striving for accomplishment of his ambition of creating the seat of court acrobat.
Q6.What is the theme of the story?
Ans. The theme of the story is “When there is a will, there is a way” and man is not
made defeat. A person can achieve anything in his life if he trusts in his faculties and
has faith in hard work in as Emerson said:
Trust thyself; every heart vibrates to that iron string!
Nothing is impossible in the world if a person has decided to achieve anything as every
king was once a helpless baby and every great building was once only a sketch.
Q7. Describe the scene of inauguration?
Ans. For inauguration ceremony, the court hall was converted into a gymnasium. The
lights and a band in pale green and gold played softly. All the courtiers, including
member of the royal family, were sitting on one side. Gorgios entered in a golden
acrobatic dress made of red velvet under the flood of golden light.

I Have a Dream
By
Martin Luther King
Q1. Write a note on the struggle of Martin Luther King Junior?
Ans. Martin Luther King was a priest as well as a well-honoured political leader of the Black
Race during the Civil Rights Movements dating from 1950’s to 1960’s in America. He was
awarded Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964. He took steps and raised voice against racial
prejudice and injustice. He lead the freedom moments in the Southern States of America for

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the Black Race /Negroes. During these moments, he and his supporters underwent torture
and suffering but nothing could stop them from preaching sanctity of freedom, fraternity,
faith in equality and human rights.
In the early 1960’s, he was jailed in Birmingham, where he wrote a letter to a local
newspaper titled “The Letter from a Birmingham Jail” regarding brutality of police to
citizens.
He won the freedom struggle and rights for the Negroes. He was shot dead during a protest
on 4th April, 1968 in Memphis.
Q2.What was the condition of Negroes in his days?
Ans. In 1950’s when the movement for Civil Liberty was at its peak; the Negroes in
America were living a pitiable and pathetic life. They were not only hated but also but also
treated worse than animals. They had to face tough trails and tribulations. They were kept in
narrow jail cells. They had to undergo the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds
of police brutality. They were wallowing in the valley of despair in search of freedom and
justice. They were neither considered for well-paid jobs nor higher education. To uplift the
life of Negroes Martin Luther King sacrificed his own life.
Q3. What was the subject matter or theme of Martin Luther’s speech, “I Have a
Dream”?
Ans. Martin Luther King was a strong supporter of the rights and freedom of the Negroes in
America. In his speech, “I Have a Dream”, he emphasized that education and awareness
would gradually change the thinking of the people. He wanted to preach the fact that hate
can’t drive out hate only love can do that. He wanted to preach peace, love for humanity
and fraternity through out the world.
In the Southern part of America, the Black race was considered to be inferior to White Race.
Martin Luther stressed that only love, freedom, fraternity and equality of human rights could
bridge up the gap between the white and black race in America. Peace is never possible
without freedom of speech and liberty from poverty and injustice. Freedom never means to
maintain one’s own freedom and seize the freedom of others as Nelson Mandela remarks:For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but
to live in a way that respects and enhances the
freedom of others.
We cannot separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless one has

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one’s freedom. Martin Luther King wanted the people to give practical shape to his dreams,
which was the dream of the whole humanity.
Our religion Islam is also a great supporter of universal brotherhood, sanctity of human life
and rights regardless of race, caste, colour and religion. Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
also preached that no white man is superior to a black man.

THE GIFT OF MAGI
Q1. What is the central idea of “The Gift Of Magi”?
Ans. Love, generosity, and the various definitions of wealth and poverty are central
themes in "The Gift of the Magi," in which a poor, loving young couple sell the only
valuable things they own to give each other special Christmas gifts. Della Young sells
her beautiful hair to buy Jim a gold watch chain, and Jim sells his heirloom watch to buy
Della some hair combs. These gifts are useless, in one sense; Della cannot wear her
combs without her hair, and Jim, without his watch, cannot use his watch chain.
However, Jim’s remark, is also a comment on the value of the gifts. They are too nice
not only because of the money they represent but also because of the sacrificial love
they represent. Self-sacrifice in the name of love is the wisest gift.
Q2. How much did she save for Christmas?
Ans. Della saved one dollar and eighty seven cents through bargaining while buying
meat and food. She saved money through careful buying only because she wanted to
purchase Christmas gift for Jim.
Q3. Why did Della sell her hair?
Ans. When Della found no other way to get money for Jim’s gift, she started weeping
desperately. During the same moment, the idea of selling hair came to her mind, thus
she rushed to Sofronie’s Shop; who was a large, white and cold-eyed woman and
bought Della’s hair for twenty dollars.
Q4. Why Della did selected gold chain for Jim?
Ans. Della chose gold watch chain for Jim because it had both quietness and value like
Jim, and was made of pure material. Moreover, Jim’s watch had never a good chain and
he always avoided to take out watch from his pocket in public places.
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Q5. Why did they want to present gifts to each other?
Ans. Jim and Della had sacrificial love for each other and they did not want to celebrate
Christmas without presenting gifts. Thus, both sold their most valuable gifts for each
other.
Q6. What was the wisdom in selling the most valuable things?
Ans. In "The Gift of the Magi," O. Henry tells the story of Jim and Delia Young, a poor
young couple who wanted to buy each other special Christmas gifts, which ironically
cancel each other out because Della sold her hair to buy Jim a chain for his watch,
which he in turn had sold to buy her a fine set of combs for her hair. Despite the fact that
these gifts are now useless, Jim and Delia have given each other the greatest gift of all,
which the narrator compares to the gifts given to the Christ child by the wise men, or
magi: selfless love. Their love for each other is unlimited.

A MILD ATTACK OF LOCUSTS
By Doris Lessing
Q1. How did the farmers try to prevent the main swarm of the locusts from lading
on their fields?
Ans. The farmers were used to such calamities and knew how to handle them. They
took every possible preventative or safety measures to prevent the main swarm of the
locusts from lading on their fields; especially they prepared piles of wood and grass and
set it on fire. When the smoke started rising from the myriads of fire, they constantly
added wet leaves to make it more acrid (acidic) and black because the locusts were
allergic to smoke. This preventive kept the locusts from the field for a longer time.
Moreover, they also made rattling sound with the help of tins and other metallic things to
stop them from settling.

Q2. Why even after all the crops were destroyed, did the men continue to fight the
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swarm?
Ans. Although the locusts devastated the green fields and crops, yet the villagers kept
on fighting because they knew that the attack of locusts might turn out like a bad
weather. Once the swarm of locusts settled on their lands/fields, they would start
breeding and they might go on for the next two to three years. The farmers also knew
that the locusts would definitely eat up all the new crops too, so they kept on fighting
desperately to avert this calamity.
Q3. What was the condition of the land when the locusts had moved to the south?
Ans.

After the attack of locusts, the land gave the view of wilderness, as all the

greenery especially the crops were eaten up by the locusts, leaving behind only the
patches of barren land. Everything was to be replanted and the fields seemed to be in
ruins. All the trees, buildings, bushes and earth were completely covered was gone
under the moving brown masses. The villagers were expecting rain, which might spring
some new grass, because the cattle would die otherwise. For Margaret, it was a great
calamity and she felt like a survivor after war.
Q4. What are the measures the farmers should have taken to save their crops?
Ans. Disaster or calamities are mostly remembered for the number of people that they
have killed, the property consumed by their ferocity, and the social and psychological
trauma (shock) that they leave in their wake. Calamities as these effects are, disaster
also bring out all the stupidities, mistakes, wrong decisions, , frailties and the ultimate
incapability of human beings in conquering- or even defending against- the forces of
nature beside the best that human nature has to offer. Moreover, calamities always
come as an unpleasant surprise, for which no nation is pre-planned or ready to face.
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In this story, the attack of locusts is also like an unpredictable calamity, which can
neither be predicted and nor easily averted. Although the farmers were used to this kind
of attacks and the knew the precautions as well, yet they could not avert it. If it had been
possible for them to avert them, they would have taken all the measures, however, the
should have taken the following measures:a.

They should have sprayed the insecticides in time.

b.

They would have known the symptoms of such attacks must
have some precautions before hand.

c.

They must have got help form Agricultural Department to
control this kind of attack.

d.

They should have used bio- pesticides like fungus, which
spread disease among the locusts and result in their ultimate
death.

Q5. Write a note on the character of Margaret.
Ans. Margaret is a young girl, belonging to the village being attacked by the locusts. It
was her first experience of life to be under attack of locusts and she was greatly
shocked. She could not understand what to do and she felt herself like a saviour from a
war. But at the same time she could not understand the happiness of the farmers after
the disappearance of the locusts from that area.
Shaheen Academy, G-6-1/3, Islamabad. Ph-2279319

The Gulistan of Saadi
By Sheikh Saadi
Q1. What do you know about Sheikh Saadi?
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Ans. Abū Muslih-ud-Din bin Abdullah Shīrāzī (died 691 AH), better known by his penname as Sheikh Saadī Shirazi , was one of the major Persian poets of the medieval
period. He is recognized not only for the quality of his writing, but also for the depth of
his social thoughts. His best known works are Bostan ("The Orchard") completed in
1257 and Gulistan ("The Rose Garden") in 1258, which are a description of Saadi's
travels and analysis of human psychology and wisdom.
Q2. How did Nushirvan advise to his people?
Ans. Nushirvan-the great Persian King, who was known for his justice and kindness,
warned his subject/people against destruction by cruelty and injustice. He advised them,
“A tyrant does not remain in the world; but the curse on him abides for ever”,
mean an unjust and cruel is cursed forever and there are no sound existence of such a
king. On another occasion Sheikh Saadi remarked about an unjust king in the following
words:“A tyrant cannot be a Sultan,
As a wolf can’t be a shepherd,
A king who establishes oppression,
Destroys the basis of the wall of his own reign”.
Q3. What remedy was suggested by the physician for the disease of the king?
Ans. The physician prescribed the king that his disease could only be cured with the
bile of a person having certain qualities. His servants searched for such person and at
last a farmer’s son was found to have the required qualities. The king also got the
consent of the boy’s parents by presenting them handsome sum.
Q4. Why did the boy look towards the sky and smile?
Ans. The boy looked towards the sky to seek justice from Almighty Allah against the
brutality of the king and smiled at the foolishness and lust of his parents for the trash of
the world that for a little sum they forgot the parents-son relationship. The boy also said
that if the king failed to get agreement of his parents, they would seek justice from Qazi.
On the contrary, the parents agreed for his bloodshed and the Qazi who was to do
justice also passed the decree for his assassination.
Q5. What should be the role of Qazi?
Ans. A Qazi should be a paragon of justice having considerable knowledge and
understanding of social and moral laws. He should be impartial and not to be influenced
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by the Rulers and Kings of any state. His decision should be on merit regardless of
social status and position.
Q6. Why did the king weep?
Ans. The king when listened to the words of helpless boy. He considered himself to be
cruel and unjust, who is going to kill an innocent boy for his health. He also though
about his foolishness that he was dependent upon the worldly provisions while the little
boy was seeking justice from Allah. With these feeling, he started weeping and released
the boy with wealth and affection.

THE FOOLISH QUACK
Q1. What is the clump of trees?
Ans. A clump of trees means a group or a groove or a furrow of trees grown close to
each other.
Q2. What was stuck in the camel’s throat?
Ans. A water-melon was stuck in the camel’s throat while grazing in the field.
Q3. What did the quack pretend to cure?
Ans. The quack pretended emphatically to cure goiter i.e the swollen throat.
Q4. What did the quack do with the old woman?
Ans. He wrapped a blanket around the old woman’s throat and hit it hard with mallet .i.e
he repeated the same practice, which he did with the camel.
Q5. What was the result of the cure?
Ans. The cure resulted into the instant death of the poor old woman.
Q6. What was the punishment inflicted on the quack by the villagers?
Ans. The punishment inflicted or imposed on the quack by the villagers was to dig the
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grave for the burial of the old woman and a beating in addition to digging.
Q7. For whom did the quack dig the grave?
Ans. He dug the grave for the old woman, whom he killed with his notorious and
abortive practice of curing goiter.
Q8. What did the quack do in the next village?
Ans. The quack again pretended to be expert in curing goiter.
Q9. Why didn’t the villagers let the old man get cured?
Ans. They did not let the old man cure because the quack warned them that in case of
old man’s death, he should not be held responsible. Hearing this, the villagers said that
they had nothing to do with a doctor, who talked of death before curing.
Q10. Why did the quack come back to the camel-men?
Ans. He came back to the camel-men to taunt him for misguiding or misleading him
regarding the cure of goiter.
Q11. How did the camel-men cure their camel?
Ans. They cured their camel by tying a blanket round the neck of their camel and hit it
hard with a mallet. The water-melon stuck in the throat of the camel was crushed with
the blow and the camel swallowed the food instantly. It was a natural way meant for
animals based on common sense, but was not for human beings.

THE USE OF FORCE
By William Carlos Williams

Q1.What was the condition of the parents on the arrival of the doctor?
Ans. The parents especially the mother was disturbed about the health of her daughter,
she was spick and span and apologetic lady. On the arrival of the doctor, the father tried
to move for the doctor but the doctor rushed not to bother him. Both the father and the
mother of the little girl were nervous and they were eyeing the doctor up and down
distrustfully.
Q2. How did the child behave with the doctor?
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Ans. The child behaved adamantly and was ready for her medical check up. She was
inwardly quiet and healthy in appearance with expressionless face. She also reacted
strongly, when the doctor tried to open her mouth for throat examination.
Q3. Why did the doctor call her by her first name?
Ans. The doctor called the child by her first name “Matilda” to make her sure that he is
intimate and friendly. He also wanted to make her realize that he was their family doctor
and had already known them.
Q4. Why did the parents rebuke the little girl?
Ans. The parents rebuked the little girl for her misbehavior and partly because she
knocked away the glasses of the doctor as he lovingly approached her to examine,
which fell a few yards away on the kitchen floor.
Q5. How did the doctor threaten the sick child?
Ans. Considering the children lying on the death bed due to ignorance, the doctor
indirectly threatened the little girl by saying that if she did not cooperate for her throat
examination he would open it by force for her.

Q6. How did the child look by appearance?
Ans. The child was as strong as heifer in appearance but her face was flushed due to
high fever and she was breathing rapidly. She was inwardly quiet and was eyeing the
doctor furiously with expressionless face. In short, she was as cute as the children, who
appear in the photogravure section of the Sunday magazines.
Q7. Why did the parents keep the child in the kitchen?
Ans. The parents kept the sick child in the kitchen to keep warm, where she was resting
in her father’s lap. They kept her there also because the house was very damp
sometimes.
Q8. How did the doctor succeed in examining the sick child?
Ans. When the doctor failed to convince the sick child to open her mouth for
examination, as a last resort he grasped head of the girl and tried to put the wooden
tongue depressor between her teeth. When he succeeded in doing so, the girl crushed
the wooden depressor with her teeth into splinters. Then he asked for a metallic spoon
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and pushed it her mouth until she gagged showing the tonsils covered with membrane.
Q9.Under what circumstances the use of force can be justified?
Ans. The use of force can not be justified in general, however, in cases where danger to
life is imminent; the use of force becomes inevitable. In the lesson, “The Use of Force”,
the doctor and the parents tried their level best in politely and kindly but as a last resort
they had to use force at the risk of her life to examine her throat.

OVERCOAT
Q1. How did the young man look physically?
Ans. The young man was well groomed having sleek and shinning hair and wore side
burns. He had tin mustache as if drawn with a pencil. He was wearing brown overcoat
according to fashion of that day, a green flat hat and white silk scarf knotted at his neck.
The coat was well cut and its material was good. The lapels of the coat were stiff and
the sleeves were well creased. Indeed he was very happy in that dress.
Q2. Why were the people doing on the mall?
Ans. The people were enjoying themselves and had fun in variety of hotels, restaurants,
cafes and snack bars according to their means.
Q3. Why did a tongawala and a taxi drive approach the young man?
Ans. They mistook him as a rich man and thought he might be needed a vehicle to
move through the bazaar. However, both were turned away in a peculiar style especially
the taxi driver with “No thank you”.
Q4. Why did not the young man buy the carpet?
Ans. The young man could not buy the carpet because he was not well off. He praised
the carpet as being fine but a little bit costly. He further said to him that he would come
again after some days. He said so to conceal his poverty.
Q5. Why did the driver of the truck escaped away?
Ans. The truck driver sped away after the young man ran over by his truck because he
imagined that the young man would have been critically injured. He thought that if he
stopped there, he would definitely be arrested for this mishap.
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Q6. Narrate the scene of removing the overcoat from the body of the young man?
Ans. After being taken to the hospital, the overcoat was removed from the body of the
young man, it was found that under the coat he was wearing only a tattered sweater.
Under the sweater, he was wearing a dirty vest which was reflecting that he has not
taken bath for many days.
Q7. Give the list of the articles, which were found from the coat of the young
man?
Ans. The articles recovered from various pockets of the young man were a small black
comb, a handkerchief, six annas, a few pies, a half smoked cigarette, a little diary and a
few handbills, which the shopkeepers thrust upon him on that night.
Q8. What is the central idea of the story “Overcoat”?
Ans. The basic theme or central idea of this story is that most of the people pretend to
be rich and tries to hide their poverty and miseries because they are looked upon by the
elite class, who has merely made the physical appearance to be final yardstick of
measuring character and status in the society. But we should judge people around us
morally not materially as Our true beauty is defined by our soul; our appearance is
just a camouflage we use to hide our true beauty, our true identity...
THE ANGEL AND THE AUTHOR AND OTHERS
By Jerome K Jerome
Q1. At what point of the journey in his dream did the author hear the throbbing sound of
wings?
Ans. One night, in his dream the author felt that he was flying up towards the sky. While he was
moving up and up he could observe the little luminosity down on the earth. At this moment, he heard
the throbbing sound of the wings behind him. When he turned around, he saw that it was the
recording angel.
Q2.What time of the year was it?
Ans. It was about a fortnight (two weeks) after Christmas, when the writer had a worrisome dream.
The author dreamt that he was moving up towards the sky.
Q3. What does the author like about Christmas?
Ans. The author tells the angel that he likes Christmas, because it makes everybody good especially
the lovely sentiments and the noble deeds that people keep on repeating from a little before

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Christmas up to the end of January. There is also an ironic element in the writer’s opinion that
usually people do good deeds only for a limited time each years just to show off especially during the
religious days.
Q4. Write down the good deeds the author has admitted are a great joy on Christmas?
Ans. The good deeds that the author has done are as follow:-

1

He submitted ten shillings subscription to the daily telegraph’s six penny fund for the
unemployed.

1

He attended four charity dinners, later he had to suffer from stomach problem.

1

He sent his twelve self-signed photographs to a charity bazaar to be sold to raise funds.

1

He also performed in Talbot Chimneys and helped to raise funds for the destitute (poor)
British in Johannesburg.

1

Moreover, he sent his old clothes along with a useable coat to rummage sale and bought a
raffle to help the poor.

Q5. Why noble deeds are always a great joy for the author?
Ans. Good deeds bring spiritual satisfaction to everyone. Similarly for the author good deeds are of
great joy, he tries to recall all his good deeds that he has done during his lifetime. In his dream, he is
dead and realizes that he has lost all opportunities for good deeds. He also tells the angel that noble
deeds are always a great joy to him and he loves to think of all the good deeds he himself has done.
He often thought of keeping a diary--noting them down each day as it would be so nice for one's
children.
Noble deeds not only satisfy one’s conscience but also a true way to win God’s love. A tree is
known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps
friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.

Q6. What is the central idea of the story “The Angel and The Author and The Others”?
Ans. Man does not become conscious of the escaping time and opportunity that has been bestowed to him
by Almighty Allah. Here in this story, the author realizes that he is no more alive and has lost all the
opportunities to perform good deeds. Thus he recalls his good deeds with the ironic vein that majority of
us start doing good during the specific religious occasions. In other words, in order to protect himself

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from damnation he starts mentioning his trivial deeds which are of no significance. The idea of death,

the fear of it, haunts the human like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity and this
fear can only be overthrown or defeated through good deeds and following the ways prescribed
by Almighty Allah.

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HEAT LIGHTENING
Q1. What did the girl can’t describe the killer?
Ans. The girl couldn’t describe the killer because she
was

extremely

frightened

and

nervous.

She

completely lost her senses, when she saw the killer
dragging the dead body of the woman. Later, she
was also chased by the killer and she was certain
that she would also be murdered. In this anxiety,
she was not able to muster up her courage to give
details regarding the murderer/ killer.
Q2. Why did the girl leave her on the side of the
road?
Ans. She left her car solely because her car ran
short

of

f
uel/gas.

It

was

a

stormy

night

with

heavy rain and she banked her car along the road
side. As a last resort, she came out of her car
with the hope to get help or any other assistance
f
orm the passers-by. As she was strolling along the
road, she was horror-stricken by the terrible scene.
Q3.

Why

did

the

girl

consider

the

first

man

her

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helper?
Ans. The

girl

extremely

nervous

saw a horrible
and

act, which made her

disturbed.

The

uncountable

f
ear and threat of being chase and murdered kept
on haunting her mind. In alarmed state, she reached
the

bus

stop;

where

she

came

across

the

first

man, whose compassionate and kind words made her
trust him. He posed as if he were her well wisher
as

he

positively

suggested

her

first

also

the

man

positively

second man

trusted

him

as

inquired

the
to

pretended

murder

inf
orm

to

the

hide/save

case

and

police.

The

her,

when

arrived. The frightened girl blindly
her

well-wisher

and

she

was

f
ar

away from considering the first man, the murderer.

THE OYSTER AND THE PEARL
Q1. Do you think that it is right to allow Clay to believe
that there is a pearl in the oyster? Elaborate.

Ans. Clay wants 300 dollars to get his f
ather back home
and desires to buy some present f
or his mother. He wishes
to see f
amily united and regain the lost happiness, as his
f
ather left them f
or unknown place, owing to everyday
disputes. Clay plans to search f
or his f
ather but he lacks
money f
or this purpose. He has associated all of his hopes
with the oyster and the pearl. The oyster, however,
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symbolises the obstacles and the pearl is hope. Moreover,
when he comes by an oyster on the sea shore he becomes
happy and optimistic. He is confident to find pearl in the
oyster, even there was none. Everyone except Harry tells
him that there is nothing inside of the oyster. Harry agrees
with Clay only because he wants to make him happy. The
writer understands the circumstances, pays 300 dollars to
Clay to help him and saves him from being disappointed and
disillusioned.
However, it is wise decision on the part of the Harry Van
Dusen and the writer not to disappoint the innocent boys,
who is living in the world of harmless dreams through selfsacrifice.

Q2. Why does the writer willing to buy the pearl? What
does he mean by saying: As far as I am concerned the
whole thing is a pearls?
Ans. During the discussion regarding, the oyster and the
pearl, the writer was present in Harry’s shop f
or hair cut.
Like other people of the town, he knew that there was no
pearl in the oyster and that one out thousand carried the
pearl, it was f
ew and f
ar between. Though he was certain
that
he
would
not
be
getting
anything
from
the
worthless /ordinary oyster, yet he bought it f
or 300 dollars
to help the poor Clay indirectly. Moreover, he did not want
to shatter the innocent boy’s dreams and hopes of bringing
in happiness.

Q3.What was Harry’s philosophy? What is your opinion
about it?
Ans.
Lif is a pendulum between smiles and tears. To love
e
and to be loved is the greatest existence of human lif
e.
Cheerful lif
e is always based on self-sacrifice, humanity,
patience, tolerance and fraternity. Harry’s philosophy is to
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take it easy and relax; consequently, the lif will be happy and
e
serene. He tries to propagate his philosophy by talking to
people, when he is cutting hair. It is almost as if the
haircuts were just a way of getting people in his shop to
talk. The name of the town is O.K.-by-the-sea, which
symbolises that life isn’t perfect but by taking it easy, it can
be more fun. He knows that the people are living a very
miserable and hectic lif
e without any sympathy or helping
hand. All the town people are preoccupied by the cares of
chaotic lif There is no way out f
e.
or them, they can neither
laugh nor weep. However, Harry’s philosophy makes them
hopeful and happy.
He tries to free the town people from
their worries, particularly in the case of Clay, who wants
money to get his f
ather back home and to buy gifts f
or his
mother.

A VISIT TO A SMALL PLANET
By
Gore Vidal
Q1.
How
does
Kreton
prove
his
extraordinary
powers?
Ans. Kreton, an alien visitor from outer space, who is fascinated by human beings and
determined to make his visit everlasting and memorable. He possesses extraordinary powers,
which are being displayed at the time of threat from the army or personnel of General Powers.
The prominent traits of his power are as below:-

 He creates an invisible fortification (defence wall), surrounding his spaceship, when
General Powers orders his personnel to penetrate into it.

 Kreton has used his powers of mind to levitate or cease all of the rifles and weapons in
the world for fifteen seconds.

 He has a highly technological way of operating his spaceship without instrument or
control panel.

 He has the ability of reading the minds and behaviour of the people before revelation.
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 He is strong and advanced enough to take the control of the whole world.
Q2. What do you know about Kreton and what is the purpose of his visit to the earth?
Ans. Kreton is a visitor from other planet. He is forty years old, mild, pleasant looking man with
side whiskers, dressed in the fashion of 1860. He is cool-minded. He possesses high intellectual
and has the ability to read the mind dressed. He self-dependent and represents an ideal
civilization. He is the man of extraordinary powers and above human ill-will and malice.
On General Power inquiry regarding the purpose of his arrival, he reflects his interest in the
human beings and their behaviour. He also says to Speldings, “ You are my hobby” and “I am
going native”. He means to say that he has come to earth for everlasting visit. When General
Powers questions him regarding his intention to capture America, he replies that he will take the
charge of the whole world including America and intends to reform it.
Q3. What is the theme of the play “A Visit to a Small Planet?
Ans. Using Kreton as a satiric personification of American’s ugly underbelly (cunningness),
Vidal’s play employs a common science-fiction scenario to explore not alien but American’s life
and directly the hollow and materialistic nature of all the human beings, who are uncivilized and
good at nothing except wars.
The writer has aptly employed the character of Kreton to expose the real face of human
beings i.e. hypocrisy, selfishness, callousness, cruelty, violence and war crime against humanity.
Here, Kreton also acts as writer’s mouthpiece and through his satirical remarks like “Here
civilization is just beginning” and “You fragile butterflies”, Vidal has put forward the idea
that the people on the earth are inferior in civilization and technology to the other inhabitants of
other planets. Moreover the elements of violence, hatred and the fever to expand one’s
territories are the characteristics of ancient civilizations. Kreton says that the people of earth
seek satisfaction by hurting others even in 20th Century and consider themselves more civilized
than other nations or their enemies.
Kreton, who is the representative of both an alien nation and the future man, is free of
human emotions of hatred, hostility and prejudice including all other evil emotions. He plans to
live on earth for ever to reform the human civilization, which has gone worse.

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THE RAIN
W.H. Davies
I HEAR leaves drinking rain;
I hear rich leaves on top
Giving the poor beneath
Drop after drop;
'Tis a sweet noise to hear
These green leaves drinking near.

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Ref
erence: These verses have been taken from the poem The Rain,
written by W H DaviesContext: In this poem, the poet has portrayed the scenery of a
rainy day. The rain beautifies the entire atmosphere and f
alls drop
after drop on lush green leaves of the tree. But this romantic
and natural scene is not to be enjoyed by the poor, who are
shelter less , thus can not admire and enjoy the beauty and
music of rain. Rain appears as a hindrance in their daily routines
and gives them a tough time as and they have no alternative
except to suff
er in the wet cold weather. To escape from the
coming deluge, he seeks shelter under trees, which doesn’t serve
as a perf
ect shelter. However, the scene of the sunshine after
the rain symbolizes hope and happiness f
or poor.
Explanation:-In this stanza, the poet portrays the fresh serene
and musical atmosphere created by rain. When it rains, the poet
observes the tree leaves sipping /
drinking rain water and giving a
f
ascinating melody. The leaves after rain can be seen fresh and f
ull
of water. This natural music is sweet, pleasant and worth of
listening. Despite its pleasantness, it is not fruitf
ul or enjoyable
f
or poor and the penniless. The poor man has no other choice or
shelter except the tree. In this cold wet world, the suff
erings of
poor are as countless or limitless as the rain drops, which f drop
all
after drop. As Shakespeare remarked:When sorrows come, they,
Come not single spies,
But in battalions.
THE greatest enemy to the man, who has to carry on his body
his entire wardrobe, is rain. As long as the sun shines he is
indiff
erent, but if he is caught in a wet condition after sunset,
he is to be pitied. He does not f
ear any ill consequences to health
from being wet; however, he does not like the uncomf
ortable
sensation of shivering and not being able to keep warm. This
unsettled f
eeling is often made worse by an empty stomach. In
f
act a f
ull stomach is his one saf
eguard against the cold, and he
cares not then, if the rain and the wind penetrate his clothes.

Stanza 2.
And when the Sun comes out,

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After this Rain shall stop,
A wondrous Light will fill
Each dark, round drop;
I hope the Sun shines bright;
'Twill be a lovely sight.

Explanation: -In these verses, the poet remarks that
sunlight will brighten the whole atmosphere after the rain is
stopped. The sun shines with full glamour and gives a new
look to all the things. The other side of the gloomy picture
is always bright. As every dark clod has a silver
lining and after rain there are always roses.
Here in the verses, sunshine is the symbol and ray of hope
f
or the poor in the dead, dark and cold world of
uncountable suff
ering. The suff
erings may stay a little longer,
yet not f
orever. Human lif is a pendulum between smiles and
e
tears; he has to endure suff
erings and dejection, without
any excuse. The poet encourages the poor to keep up hope
and happiness through the imagery of bright sunshine, which
injects a new spirit and lif
e in every creature. In this
regard Henry Wardsworth Longf
ellow has beautifully remarked
in his poem- An April Day :Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds the sun is shining;
Thy f
ate is the common f
ate of all,
Into each lif some rain must f
e
all,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

NIGHT MAIL

Night Mail is a simple poem written by W. H. Auden. In this
poem,

the

travels

poet

the

describes

whole

night

the
to

journey

bring

mail

of

a

coach

containing

that

letters,

postal orders and cheques f
or people living in diff
erent parts
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of

the

country.

The

journey

is

not

always

the

same.

Sometimes the “Night Mail” coach has to climb upwards and
sometimes it crosses the plains but it always reaches its
destination
through

on

time.

grasslands,

During

the journey

cotton

fields,

the coach

moorland,

etc.

passes

The

poet

mentions the attitude of the birds as it approaches, they
become active to peep at it through bushes. The sheepdogs
are not at disturbed by the noise of the train as they are
lost in their slumber (deep sleep). The poet minutely mentions
all the details that when the night mail passes through the
f
arm the people are not disturbed. They continue to sleep.
Only

a

jug

placed

in

a

bedroom

shakes

gently

with

the

vibration of the passing train.
***************
LOVELIEST OF TREES -THE CHERRY NOW
STANZA -1
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
Reference: These verses have been taken from the poem “Loveliest
of the Cherry Now” written by A.H Housman.
Context:- In this poem, the poet has beautif
ully portrayed and
mirrored the beauty of cherry tree in bloom. The poet’s joy mirth,
birth and happiness lie in the splendor of cherry trees, which are

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embellished colourf
ul flowers, adding to the splendid herald of
spring. Moreover; the melodious rhythm of the verses lends
majesty and grandeur to the influence of the poem. The poet
sketches the shortness of his lif by making an apt comparison
e
of the spring season with the period of lif Here the approaching
e.
spring is portrayed through f
ascinating colours of flowers and
magical glimpse of nature.
Explanation:- In these verses, the poet shows his deep and
unbounded love and f
ascination f
or the cherry tree. He holds that
cherry is the loveliest tree, which is in f
ull bloom and splendor, and
its branches are laden with the attractive flowers. To poet, it
appears that the cherry tree is standing along the way to
f
orest /woods, wearing the white shining overcoat of snow to
welcome the eve of Easter. The poet’s praise f
or cherry garden
and its f
ascinating surroundings reflects his love f
or nature. The
cherry tree here also symbolizes the tree of life with
its own spring and autumn i.e. lif
e and death, mirth and dirge
(Funeral song). The poet keeps up his hope of lif through the
e
inspiration of cherry tree, as it is said by Abignale:“Every endless night…
has a shinning day
Every darkest sky….
Has a shinning rain” (Abignale)

It is universal truth
that every withered plant or
thing has its hope preserved which comes to lif through
e
tragedy, but bringing lif
e and a brand new day with the
blossoming cherry
in the wood world, creates a new sense
and scene of cheerful lif
e.
In the winter season all the vegetation seems to be dead
the tree are bare, the grass is brown, and all the flowers
have disappeared. In March the climate changes often
suddenly. The warm, moisture laden west wind prevails and
the air becomes warm and mild. The flowers come out, the
tree put f
orth new leaves and the grass becomes green.
STANZA- 2.
Now, of my three score years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

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Explanation: In these verses, the poet laments about his past lif
e
and its golden moments, and associates it with the spring season.
The white glory of the cherry tree in bloom, reminds him of the
springs of his lovely lif which has now become a history
e,
(past) f
or him. At the same moment, the cherry tree also
symbolizes the shortness and uncertainty of human lif in the
e
f
orm of spring and autumn season. Human lif is as limited as that
e
of a flower. The more it is beautif
ul and sweet smelling the
sooner it is withered. Here in these verses, the poet also grieves
that the early twenty years of his lif
e will not bounce back.
These early twenty years of poet’s lif
e were the years of
youthful and tension free lif
e.
STANZA -3.
And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

Explanation :-In
this
stanza,
the
poet
reflects
the
shortness and uncertainty of human lif
e, which is not long
enough to enjoy the beauties of nature. That’s why he says
in brooding pessimism that fifty years are a little time to
enjoy lif in the recesses of nature. Like Wordsworth, the
e
poet desires to take ref
uge in the beautiful and charming
world of cherry and want to escape from the gloomy and
short world. He longs f
or an everlasting tour to woodland to
enjoy the splendour of the blooming cherry trees.
*************************
O WHERE ARE
YOU GOING?
"O where are you going?" said reader to rider,
"That valley is fatal when furnaces burn,
Yonder's the midden whose odours will madden,
That gap is the grave where the tall return."

Reference: These verses have been taken from the W. H.
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Auden’s poem “O Where Are You Going?
Context: This poem is a dialogue between two imaginary
persons, personified as Reader and Rider. The Reader, whose
lif is based on theoretical concepts and nothing practical, is
e
a timid and terrified person. On the other hand, the Rider is
a brave, courageous and practical man. Although his journey
is replete with innumerable dangers, yet he is determined to
accomplish it through thick and thin or whatever suff
erings
and sorrows come in his way. Through the dialogue between
two opposite f
orce i.e the Reader and Rider the poet has
tried to preach the philosophy of lif that man is not made
e
for defeat and one must be determined and confident to achieve
the goals of life without losing courage and hope. The Reader in
this poem is the representative of all those cowards,
who die ten times before death. The valley is the
symbol of hardships and mysteries of lif
e.
Explanation: In these verses, the Reader, who is coward, full
of awe and astonishment, discourages the Rider from
continuing his tough task of travelling. He says that the
valley where the Rider is going is replete with heaps of dung
/waste material, whose nasty smell may sicken him or madden
his mind. To strike further horror in the heart and mind of
the Rider, the Rider adds that there is also a grave in the
f
orm of a gap f
or those, who try to cross it.
At the very outset, the Reader tries
discourage the reader from accomplishing
reader is impractical, unrealistic
and f
ar
so he can’t overcome obstacle of lif as
e
remarked:

to frighten and
his journey. The
more frightened,
Shakespeare has

Extreme fear can neither flight nor fly
"O do you imagine," said fearer to farer,
"That dusk will delay on your path to the pass,
Your diligent looking discover the lacking

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Your footsteps feel from granite to grass?"

Explanation:- In the above mentioned verses, the Reader
warns the Rider regarding the risks and tragedies, which may
bef
all during his journey. He says that although the Rider is
undertaking his journey during the day time, yet at dusk it
will become dark and deadly, where his intelligence and vigilance
will display his ignorance regarding mysteries of lif
e. The
Reader also warns him that the f
ootsteps on granite are
diff
erent from those on grass. In other words, he means to
say that the path that the Rider has chosen is tortuous
and twisted.
The f
earer tries to discourage the rider so that he
may withdraw from his ambition to cross and conquer the
valley replete with dangers, f
ailures, sorrows and suff
erings.
It’s true that bad time never plays trumpet, however, one
must be ready to f
ace it courageously. In spite of the
Reader’s predictions and discouragement, the Rider is not
ready to give f
or him. To him, the will power matters not the
path /
journey, which is either tough or straightf
orward and
a determined person never complains about such things, as
it is well said by Tom Wilson:You
can
complain
because
roses have thorns, or you can
rejoice
because
thorns
have
roses.
No doubt God created us, but He gave
us the power of choice to shape our
own lives and fortunes. It is depends upon
a person, how he reacts during happy moments or
in tough times.
"O what was that bird," said horror to hearer,
"Did you see that shape in the twisted trees?
Behind you swiftly the figure comes softly,
The spot on your skin is a shocking disease."

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Explanation:
In
the
above
mentioned
verses,
the
Horror/Reader
terrifies
the
Hearer
/Rider
regarding
mysterious event or phenomenon, which may bef
all during his
journey. Supernatural creatures, having terrible f
aces, may
appear in his way. The trees, in that valley, are the dwelling
place f
or such ghostly creatures, which may chase him to
death.
The Horror points out that the tiny spot on his
f
ace and body are the symptoms of deadly disease.
From the very outset, the main objective of the
Reader is to frighten the Rider, who is determined to cross
the land of terror and dismay. The Rider believes in deeds
not the baseless words, because deeds are fruits; words are
but leaves. Shakespeare has rightly remarked about will power
that our
bodies
are
gardens
to
which
our
wills are gardeners.
"Out of this house," said rider to reader,
"Yours never will," said farer to fearer,
"They're looking for you," said hearer to horror,
As he left them there, as he left them there.

Explanation: - The concluding stanza of the poem indicates
that the Rider doesn’t get frightened of the Readers
pseudo warnings. He bears the iron will power to cross the
valley. The traveller says to the reader that the brave and
courageous people are not afraid of the hardships of lif
e
and always struggle till death. They trust in their capabilities
and live on the principal of “Do or Die”. Regarding will
power and self-reliance, Emerson has rightly quoted:
Trust thyself; every heart vibrates to that
iron string!
Such people never wait f
or opportunities or the dangers to
be over, because deciding today is less risky
than waiting till all the risks are removed
and when there is a will there is a way.
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The Rider further remarks that Reader’s world is limited and
can’t come over the barrier of the shortcoming of his own
character. Ironically, the doubts and f
ears that the Reader
has been trying to create in the mind and heart of the
Rider, are waiting f
or him; he will definitely become prey of his
f
ears and doubts. Saying this, the Rider left the Reader and
assumed his journey.

IN THE STREET OF FRUIT STALLS
Wicks balance flame, a dark dew falls
In the street of fruit stalls’
Melon, guava, mandarin,
Pyramid-piled like cannon balls,
Glow red-hot, gold-hot from within

Reference: These verses have been taken from the poem “In
the Street of Fruit Stalls” By Jan Stallworthy.
Context: In this Poem, the Jan Stallworthy has reflected
dark and harsh reality of lif through death and destruction
e
caused by war, poverty and miseries of lif
e. But all these
suff
erings have f
ailed to crush man’s love f
or pleasure. He
still searches f
or delight in the short sweetness of lif just
e
like the children, who enjoy the sweet spray of juice
f
orgetting all about the misery of lif they live in. These
e
children are too innocent to comprehend the dark and harsh
reality of lif
e.
Explanation: In this first stanza, the poet has used the
dark imagery “dark dew f ”. He has portrayed evening time
alls
with dark and grim future inflicted by war in the street of
fruit stalls, where various fruits are piled up in a conical
f
orm like pyramid. The imagery of fruits is symbolizing both
pleasure and misery. Pleasure in the sense that they are in
variety, having sweet taste and colour yet at the same
time symbolizing the cannon balls likely to be used in war.
They reflect hot, red and golden colours, which in dim light
appear like bombs.
The whole world is engulf
ed in the darkness of war, misery and
poverty. The same darkness is f
ound in the fruit street. War and

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its horrors have shattered the human psychology to such an
extent that diff
erent kinds of fruits look like bombs. In the dim
light of lanterns they glow red hot or appear gold hot.
Dark Children with a coin to spend
Enter the lantern’s orbit; find
Melon, guava, mandarinThe moon compacted to a rind
The sun in a pitted skin

Explanation :Here in this stanza, the poet has used the
word “ Dark Children”, which reflect that the poor children
with innocent hopes and dark future find pleasure in these
fruits like melon, guava and other fruits. They innocently hold
a coin standing in the light lanterns. F
or them this is the
only hope and pleasure of lif to buy and enjoy the taste
e
of various fruits.
Dark children symbolize insignificant of human lif in the eyes
e
of those who wage war and bring about misery to f
ellow humans.
The situation is so grim that the moon and the sun have f
ailed to
perf
orm their normal f
unctions as a result of which darkness and
gloom have enveloped the world. In spite of all this man ’s love f
or
pleasure is still an integral part of his nature. The children are
oblivious of their miserable living conditions. They buy diff
erent
fruits and eat with relish. The juices wet all parts of their f
aces.
The condition of the poet is, however, diff
erent. He f
eels sad at
the present situation and has serious concern about the f
uture.
They take it, break it open, let
A gold or silver fountain wet
Mouth, fingers, cheek, nose, chin:
Radiant as lanterns, they forget
The dark street I am standing in.
Explanation: They buy the fruit and break it open they tasty
juice runs down their cheeks lips and stick to their hands. F
or
them the pleasure is cheap and they are unaware of the war
going on, harsh realities of lif and grim f
e
uture, where man is
man’s enemy and which is also disturbing the poet.

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****

A

SINDHI WOMAN

Barefoot through the bazaar,
And with the same undulant grace
As the cloth blown back from her face,
She glides with a stone jar
High on her head
And not a ripple in her tread.
Explanation : In these verses, the poet draws a realistic
sketch of a Sindhi woman, who is passing through the bazaar
leading towards Karachi slums, in a harmonious and peaceful
manner. Although the cloth, with which she has covered her
f
ace, is blown back from f
ace but still she is walking
gracefully with a stone jar on her head way and there is no
wavering in her walk.
In this stanza, the poet is paying tribute to a Sindhi woman,
who has firm f
aith in hard work and holding the burden of
lif
e in the f
orm of stone jar high on her head. She is
confident that’s why she has no repentance or despair
regarding the tough time that her lif has given her as
e
Sophocles has remarked “Despair often breeds disease”.
Watching her cross erect Stones,
garbage, excrement, and crumbs Of glass
in the Karachi slums,
I, with my stoop, reflect...
They stand most straight
Who learn to walk beneath a weight
Explanation : In this stanza, the poet observes that the
way , the Sindhi woman holding the stone jar on her head,
reflects as if her body is a cross. In other words, it
appears to the poet as if the Sindhi woman is hanged on
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the cross by the cruel lif but still she f
e
aces these troubles
courageously and does not bow bef
ore brutal
lif Even the
e.
garbage, filth and small pieces of glass in Karachi slums
cannot stop her from her destination i.e she has no f
ear
that her f
eet will be injured or spoiled despite baref
ooted.
She is self-reliant and self sufficient that’s not does not
bow bef
ore anyone or extend her hand to anyone to
receive sympathies.
In the last three verses, the poet with his bent back
thinks that he could not learn to walk beneath the weight
i.e. does not know how to shoulder the troubles of daily lif
e
and says that those who know how to remain steadf
ast in
the f
ace of troubles and miseries are great and triumphant.
********

TIMES
The

poem

‘Time’

is

an

ecclesiastical

poem,

which

highlights

the

importance of time in organizing the phenomenon and cycles in the
universe.

The

anonymous

poet

reflects

that

everything

in

this

world is systematic and every process /phenomenon takes place
at the stipulated or specified time i.e. the change of season, the
cycle of lif from birth to death, the time of marry making, the
e
moment of victory and rejoicing, time to worship and time to go
to bed, season to sow and time to reap. Time f
or mirth and time
f
or dirge (lament).
In short all our activities are interwoven in the net of time and
it is indispensable entity in human lif
e.
Q1. Explain the message in the first eight lines of the poem “Time”?
Ans. The first eight lines of the poem emphasizes the importance
of time and reflect that every process /phenomenon occur in
this world at stipulated time prescribed by the nature. A time to

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sow the crops and the time season to reap. Everything in this
world is time oriented. Time of birth and moment of death i.e. both
happy and sad moments are intermingled in human lif as it is well
e
said:“Human lif is a pendulum between smiles and tears”
e
In

human

lif
e

the

moments

of

marry

making

and

moments

of

mourning over the f
uneral are also specified. Those people never
succeed, who keep on waiting f
or good time and hesitate to work
and to take risk. Deciding today is less risky than waiting till all
the

risks

opportunity

are

removed,

and

chance

man
in

must
his

take

lif
e,

f
ull

because

advantage
chance

of
and

opportunities never repeat.

THE FEED
Ahmed Nadeem Qasimi
Holding a grain of millet in her beak
The mother sparrow has come to feed.
The young ones are so tiny and small
Form head to toe they are beaks.

Reference: These verses have been taken from the
“THE FEED”, which is written by Ahmed Nadeem Qasimi.

poem

Context: In this simple and expressive poem, the poet,
through his keen observation, portrays the unf
athomable/
boundless love and kindness of a mother f
or her young ones,
who are very small and only f
ew days old, which can not
stand to their f
eet. The new born are in the nest and the
mother sparrow goes out and brings a grain of millet in her
beak to be divided among ten chicks / fledglings. The poet
marvels at the way the mother sparrow distributes one
grain among ten chicks judiciously. A mother is she, who can
take the place of all others, but whose place no one else
can take.
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Explanation:
In
these
verses,
Ahmed
Nadeem
Qasimi
demonstrates the way the mother sparrow f
eeds her
chicks. She is holding a grain of cereal and comes to the
nest of her young ones, who are tiny, f
eatherless and
cannot fly in search of f
ood, so they are entirely dependent
on their mother, as a mother understands what a chick
does not say. All the young ones are crying with hunger and
the mother sparrow has to f
eed them.
In
this
stanza,
the
poet
Ahmed
Nadeem
Qasimi
illustrates the love of mother f
or her children as she tries
her best to provide f
ood to her children or young ones in
time. The mother is the symbol of love and blessing on the
lips and in hearts of children. It is the courage of a mother
who looks after her children throughout the day, until they
are mature. In other words, mother is a bank, where we
deposit all our hurts and worries.
To whom the mother sparrow should f
eed?
Conjoining beak with beak,
With whom should she solace?
Fissuring the atom,
You have learnt to weep and wail in a loud tone,
Splitting the grain,
You have learnt to set lif on f
e
oot.
Could you split the grain?
One grain to be f
ed to the ten young ones.

Explanation: - When she returns to the nest with grain in
her beak , she is perplexed as to whom she should f
eed first,
as all the chicks are joining their beaks with the beak of
mother sparrow. They are crying with hunger and impatient
to be f
eed first, and giving tough time to their mother to
decide. Her love f
or every chick is equal and judicious. F
or her
everyone is equally loving and deserving. As a last resort, she
splits the grain into smaller pieces and f
eed all of them at a
time. She does not want to reject any one of them. The
mother sparrow has also keen observation, whether her
chicks have learnt to splits the grain or whether they can
stand on their f
eet. As it is the responsibility of the
mother sparrow to train and polish her young ones f
or
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practical lif
e.
In this stanza the poet illustrate the justice of a
mother f
or her children or young ones. He has portrayed
the unique and ideal personality of a mother and highlights
the problems which are to be resolved by the mother single
handedly. As it is well said:
Hundreds of dewdrops to greet dawn;
Hundreds of lamps in the purple clover;
Hundreds of butterflies in the lawn;
But only one mother the world wide over.

It is the universal hallmark of the great and unique
personality of mother that in this entire cold and hollow
world no one possesses deep, strong and deathless love
except mother.
********************

THE HOLLOW MEN
T.S. ELIOT
We are the hollow men, we are the stuffed men. The first
verses of the poem indicate a contradiction that surprises
us. Hollow means “having a cavity within”, implying the idea of
`emptiness´. It also has a figurative meaning, that of “lacking
real value or significance”. Stuffed, however, means “filled by
packing things in (to the point of overflowing)”. So now we
appreciate the diff
erence between the ideas of lack and
abundance. But what do the hollow/stuff
ed men lack and
what do they have in great quantities? If we look at line 4
(Headpiece filled with straw) we’ll notice the author highlights
this part of the body as the one `stuff ´, and considering
ed
the headpiece as the representation of the mind, we’ll
assume that these two verses have a symbolic, figurative
meaning: the hollow men –who the speaker belongs to ( We
are)- are f
ulfilled with absurd, non-sense ideas and thoughts,
causing them to be –in a contradiction in terms- empty and
futile (let’s look back at the second meaning of hollow).
Leaning together (line 3) works in the text as an
adjective because of the absence of the verb `to be ´. `To
lean´ means “to incline or bend from a vertical position”. This
indicates
submission
or even
surrender
(Alas!, line 4,
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