Going Places by A. R. Barton/ RBSE/ Question-Answers
Chapter
– 10
Going Places A.
R. Barton
Short Question Answers
Q. 1. What is Sophie’s dream about her future? Is her dream
realistic?
Answer: Sophie’s dream was to open a boutique. Sophie
thought of becoming a manager to get enough money to open a boutique. She also
wanted to be a fashion designer and an actor. Sophie’s dream is not realistic
as she belongs to a poor family with no resources to attain such higher goals.
Q. 2. Who was little Derek? What did he say about Sophie?
Answer: Little Derek was Sophie’s brother. He said that
Sophie thought that money grows on the trees.
Q. 3. Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from entertaining
such dreams?
Answer. Jansie discouraged Sophie from entertaining such
dreams because she knew the financial condition of Sophie well. She knew that
they were both earmarked for biscuit factories. With meagre resources, it would
be near impossible for her to fulfil her dreams.
Q. 4. Why was Sophie
jealous of Geoff’s silence?
Answer. Geoff was Sophie’s elder brother. She was jealous of
him because he spoke very little and didn’t share anything with her. When he
wasn’t speaking, it was as if he was away somewhere in the world, in those
places where she had never been.
Q. 5: How did Sophie include her brother Geoff in her
fantasy of the future?
Answer. Geoff was an apprentice mechanic travelling to the far
side of the city every morning. Sophie thought that Geoff would take her along
with him to city. She would ride behind Geoff and people would applaud and rise
to greet them.
Q. 6. Why did Sophie call Jansie nosey?
Answer: Sophie calls Jansie nosey because she wanted to know
about the meeting between Sophie and Danny Casey. Jansie was eager to know
everything about it.
Q. 7. Why was Sophie glad seeing the bicycle of her father
standing against the pub wall?
Answer: Sophie was returning after the long wait for Danny
Casey near the canal. She was happy to see her father’s bicycle near the wall
of the pub because her father would not be there when Sophie came home.
Q. 8. Which was the only occasion when Sophie got to see
Danny Casey I person?
Answer: There happened no personal meeting between Sophie
and Danny Casey. Sophie saw him only on the ground while watching United’s
match with her brothers and father.
Long Question Answers
Q. 9. Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What
were the differences between them that showed up in the story?
Answer. Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. But
there were many differences between them. Sophie was lost in her strange dreams
and fantasies but Jansie was realistic. Sophie dreamt that after leaving school
she would open a fashionable clothing store in the city. She thought of
becoming a manager to save that much money. She also thought of becoming an
actress as she would have lots of money in that way. Jansie, on the other hand,
knew the reality very well. She never indulged herself in any impractical idea.
Instead of pursuing any wild fantasy, she accepted the reality and wished that
Sophie could also understand that. Being Sophie’s classmate and friend She
cared for her. Sophie would dream of Danny Casey and picture her meeting with
him but Jansie had no such dreams.
Q. 10. Sophie’s real world is different from her fantasies.
Explain.
Answer: Yes, Sophie’s real world
is different from her fictional world. Sophie is not so wealthy as to match her
dreams. She is a teenager and is always lost in dreams. She dreams of opening a
boutique after leaving school. She plans to become a manager to collect enough
money to open a boutique. She also dreams of becoming like Mary Quant, a
fashion designer. In her imagination, sometimes she thought of becoming an
actress as she would get a lot of money that way. But in reality, her economic
condition was not very good. They didn’t have a good house. Her elder brother
was an apprentice mechanic. Her father used a bicycle. The only future option
available to them was perhaps the biscuit factory. She also fancied about Danny
Casey but he was far beyond her reach. It is quite easy to understand that
coming from a poor family, her dreams were a far cry for her.
Q. 11. What did Sophie tell her brother Geoff about Danny
Casey?
Answer. Sophie told her brother Geoff that she met Danny
Casey in the arcade. She was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window when
somebody came and stood by her and surprisingly, it was Danny Casey. When Geoff
asked how he looked like, she said that he had green and gentle eyes, and he
was not so tall as one would think of him. She then thought of telling about
his teeth but then she decided against it. She said that she asked an autograph for
little Derek but neither of them had any paper or pen and that he would give
her an autograph if she cared to meet him the next day. She wished Geoff to
believe all that.
Q. 12. Comment on the aptness of the title ‘Going Places’.
Answer: The title “Going Places” is quite apt for this story
as it incorporates going places both physically and mentally. The story begins
with Sophie’s returning home from school with her friend Jansie and along with
that it describes her imagination travelling far and wide, from opening up a
boutique to becoming an actress. At home, she imagines herself riding behind
her brother on his bike and city people applauding and greeting them. She also
pictures her meeting with Danny Casey at Royce’s and an autograph episode. She cooks up a story about Danny going to buy
a shop. The story also involves their visit to watch United’s match on
Saturdays. Later she fantasizes about dating Danny. She moves across a canal
where she used to play and sitting on a bench there, she fancies Danny coming
there. Thus the story takes us from place to place in time and space.
The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet/ Question- Answers/ RBSE
Chapter
- 9
The Last Lesson Alphonse
Daudet
Short Answer Type Questions
Q. 1. Why was the narrator scared of going to school that
morning?
Answer. The narrator was scared of going to school that
morning because M. Hamel had said that he would question them on Participles
and he didn’t know even the first word about them.
Q. 2. What did Franz see as he passed the town hall?
Answer. When Franz passed by the Town Hall, he saw a huge
crowd there. Franz noticed that the crowd was looking carefully at the Bulletin
board.
Q. 3. Who were the village people? How did they look?
Answer. There were Hauser, former mayor, postmaster and many
others in the village. The old Hauser had three cornered hat. He came with primer.
Everyone looked sad.
Q. 4. Why did Mr. Hamel say that it was the last lesson?
Answer. Mr. Hamel said so because he was a French teacher
there and an order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of
Alsace and Lorrain.
Q. 5. How did Franz’s attitude towards his books and Mr.
Hamel change?
Answer. When Franz heard that it was the last lesson of the
French language. He was in shock. His books suddenly became his old friends. He
forgot about M. Hamel’s cranky nature and his ruler.
Q. 6. Why had Franz not been able to learn much at school?
Answer. Franz was unable to learn much in school because he
used to waste his time in finding birds’ eggs and sliding on the Saar. He did
not like his books at all. They were a nuisance to him; heavy to carry.
Q. 7. What did Mr. Hamel say about the French language?
Answer. Mr. Hamel said that the French language is the world’s
most beautiful language; it is the clearest and most logical language; that
they should protect it; it is the key to their prison.
Q. 8. How did Mr. Hamel bid farewell to his school?
Answer. When the church is twelve in the clock then Mr.
Hamel stood up. He tries to say something but he becomes emotionally disturbed.
He wrote “Vive La French” on the blackboard. And by the hand gesture, he
dismissed the school.
Long Answer Type Questions:
Q. 9. It was the day of surprises for Franz. What surprises
did he notice at school that day?
Answer. For Franz, the last day was the day of surprises.
The first surprise was the silence in the class where usually it would be
bustling with the different activities of children and teacher which could be heard
out in the street. The teacher, M. Hamel too was very nice to him on that day
which was quite unusual. Moreover, M. Hamel was wearing his beautiful green
coat frilled shirt and black silk hat all embroidered over which he would wear
only on inspection and prize days. The atmosphere was quite serene and the most
surprising thing was, the back benches which were generally empty had been
occupied by the village elders. Another big surpise was the announcement made
by M. Hamel about German going to be taught in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine.
Q. 10. ‘Franz hated the school at first but he suddenly
began to like it.’ Comment.
Answer: Franz was negligent towards his studies. He didn’t
learn his lessons properly and instead of that he would go to seek birds’ eggs;
would while away his time by sliding on the Saar. His books were a nuisance to
him, heavy to carry. He didn’t like M. Hamel’s cranky nature and his using the
ruler. Even his parents were not concerned about his studies and kept him away
from learning by engaging him in earning. But when M. Hamel broke the news of
German going to be taught in the school of Alsace and Lorraine and that it was
going to be his last lesson, he realized the importance of his language and
felt sorry for his cold attitude towards his own language, and at once
developed a liking for the language, the school and the teacher.
Q. 11. What ideas of
Mr. Hamel’s character do you form after reading “The last lesson”?
Answer: M. Hamel was a French teacher. He was very strict so
the students were scared of him. He would use ruler to frighten the students. He
was respected by the villagers and though he was sincere and devoted to his
duties yet at times, he neglected his duties as a teacher. He would send his
students to water the plants in the garden. When he wanted to go fishing, he
would give them a holiday. But he was a true nationalist and a good teacher at
heart. His feelings for his country and language welled up when he received the
order to leave his country. In the last class, he told the students that French
is the most beautiful, the clearest and most logical language in the world. He
told them to hold fast to it if they wanted to be free.
The Gift of Magi by O. Henry/ Question- Answers/ RBSE
Chapter – 8
The Gift of Magi O. Henry
Short Answers
Q. 1. How were Jim and Della planning to celebrate
Christmas?
Answer: Jim and Della were planning to give gifts to each-other. They both wanted to give each-other some beautiful, nice and rare gifts.
Q. 2. What are the two possessions of James Dillingham
Youngs in which Jim and Della took mighty pride? By whom was Jim possession
transferred to him?
Answer: Jim had a gold watch which had been his father's and his grandfather's. He could make even King Solomon feel jealous of his precious possession and Della had long hair with which she could make even the queen of Sheba jealous of her.
Q. 3. Why did Della go to Madame Sofronie?
Answer: Della went to Madam Sofronie to sell her beautiful long hair. She wanted to purchase some beautiful gift for Jim and she had only one dollar and eighty seven cents which was insufficient to purchase anything worthwhile.
Q. 4. Jim said, “What a beautiful nice gift I have got
for you.” What was the gift? How did Della react?
Answer: The gift was a set of combs that she had wished for long in a broadway window. They were beautiful combs made of tortoise shell with jewelled rims, just the shade of her hair. When she opened the package and saw the gift, she gave an ecstatic scream of joy and then a quick feminine change t hysterical tears and wails.
Q. 5. “It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror.” What explanation did Jim give for his reaction on Della’s hair?
Answer: Jim told Della that she shouldn't think that there was anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or shampoo that could make him like Della any less. But if she unwrapped the package, she might understand why she had made him go awhile at first.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q. 6. Describe the anxiety of Della after she had
sacrificed her hair.
Answer: After having the hair-cut when Della reached home, she got out her curling irons, lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. She thought that if Jim didn't kill her before having a second look at her, he would say that she looked like a coney island chorus girl. She had a habit of saying silent prayers so she was praying, "Jim entered the house and his eyes fell upon her, there was an expression which terrified her which she could not understand. She wriggled off the table and went for him. She tried to make him understand that she had her hair cut because she couldn't live through Christmas without giving him a gift. She said that the hair on her head could be numbered but nobody could ever count her love for him.
Q. 7. Why does the writer refer to the Queen of Sheba and
King Solomon? What do you understand by it? Explain.
Answer. The writer refers to the two legends to convey how
much Jim and Della valued their possessions. They were very proud of them. Jim
hada gold watch which had been his father’s and his grandfather’s and Della had
very beautiful, long hair. If Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the
airshaft, Della would hang her hair out of the window someday to dry just to just
to depreciate Her Majesty’s gifts i.e. even the riches of Queen of Sheba were
nothing compared to the hair of Della. On the other hand, had King Solomon been
the janitor, with all his tresures piled up in the basement, Jim would have
pulled out his watch every time he passed just to see him pluck at his beard
from envy i.e. even Solomon’s treasure was insignificant before Jim’s watch.
Q. 8. Throw light on the remarkable qualities that Jim
and Della had.
Answer. Jim and Della loved each-other wonderfully. They did
not like anything more than each other. They were ready to sacrifice their
precious things to please each-other. They sacrificed their most beloved and
precious possessions to buy Christmas gifts for each-other. They both were
proud of these things. Both buy more expensive gifts than their financial
ability to gift each-other on Christmas. Jim bought a set of combs for Della. But
for this he had to sacrifice his gold watch which was given to him by his
father and to him by his grandfather. Della sold her hair which was her proud
possession and bought a platinum chain for Jim’s gold watch.
Q. 9. In the title “The gift of the magi” what does the
phrase “the magi” stand for?
Answer: The Magi were the wise men in the court of King
Herodotus. They were asked by the King to confirm the birth of Jesus Christ.
Following his order, they went after a star and carried some gifts for the babe
in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise,
their gifts were no doubt wise ones; they could be exchanged to avoid
duplication. Similarly, all those who can give and receive gifts are the Magi;
who can love each-other are the Magi; Jim and Della who sacrificed their most
precious possessions for each-other are the Magi.