CBSE Class 12th English 2023 : Most Important Long Answer Type Question; Read Before Exam

CBSE Class 12th English 2023 : Most Important Long Answer Type Question; Read Before Exam

The paper time has arrived, and there are only a few hours left in the paper. It's time to revise the concepts, and there is no better way to do that than by solving practice questions. This will help in boosting the confidence of the students and provide last minute revision. You can find here CBSE Class 12 English Long Practice Questions 2023.

The resource should be a mandatory read for the students before the exam, as it can help them prepare better for the type of questions that will come in the exam.

Long Answer type questions: 5 marks each

Que 1. How did the order from Berlin change the situation in the school?

Ans: The shocking order from Berlin after the defeat of France shocked the French people. It declared that all the schools in the two French districts of Alsace and Lorraine would now teach only German. This not only saddened but also hurt the pride of the people of France. On the day of the last lesson, even the village elders came to show their respect to M. Hamel for serving the community faithfully for forty years. The usual hustle and bustle too was missing from school and Franz found it unusually quiet as it used to be on a Sunday morning. M. Hamel was dressed in his formal suit. Even though Franz reached late M. Hamel did not scold him. He then went on to praising the French language at length by referring to it as the most beautiful language. He called upon the French people to safeguard their language among themselves and not to forget it ever.

Que 2. Give a brief character-sketch of M. Hamel.

Ans: M. Hamel was a teacher of the French language in a village of Alsace district of France. He had been teaching French for the last forty years in that village. Everyone in the village had a great respect for him. His students thought he was cranky, but we didn’t find him cranky in any part of this story. He was very honest. When Franz failed to recite the rule for participles, he blamed himself for giving children unnecessary holidays whenever he wanted to go for fishing. He had great passion for his subject. He knew that it was now the last day of his school and he had to leave the district the next day for good. Even then he taught his students so well that they understood everything he had taught. He had great love for the French language. He called it the most beautiful, the clearest and the most logical language of the world. Indeed M. Hamel was a. great patriot.

Que 3. Our native language is a part of culture and we are proud of it. How does the presence of village elders in the classroom and M. Hamel’s last lesson show their love for French?

Ans: According to a famous proverb, the person who does not take pride in his language, culture and nation is like an animal and he is like a dead person. Every community has a natural attachment to its culture and language. It is our native language that we naturally learn from the lap of our mother. We can communicate in our native language more effectively and proficiently than in some other foreign language.In this story, the Prussians invaded the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine. They banned the teaching and studying of the French language in these districts. All the teachers of the French language were asked to leave the districts of Alsace and Lorraine. M. Hamel was a teacher of the French language in a village in the district of Alsace. He had been teaching in a school the French language for the last forty years. The next day, he was leaving the village and school for good. The elderly persons sitting at the back benches were the old Hauser who was wearing his three cornered hat, the former mayor, the former postmaster, and several others. Everybody was looking sad. Hauser had brought an old primer and he held it open on his knees with his spectacles lying across the pages. All these elderly persons had come to the school to pay their tribute to the selfless service of M.Hamel for forty years.

Que 4. Everybody during the last lesson is filled with regret. Comment.

Ans: In the year 1870-71, during the Franco-Prussian war the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine fell into the hands of Prussians. They harmed the teaching and learning of the French language in these districts. All the teachers of the French language were ordered to leave these districts. M. Hamel was one such teacher who taught French in one of the villages of Alsace district. He had to leave the village the next day for good. In the chapter, he was delivering his last lesson of the French language. Not only the students but also the village elders came to attend the last French class. Everybody in the class was full of regret. M. Hamel blamed himself for giving too much holidays to his students and in this way not teaching them properly. The students like Franz blamed themselves for not learning their language properly. The village elders were also full of regret. They had not learnt their language properly when they were young. Now they had come there to pay their tribute to M. Hamel, the French teacher, for forty years of selfless service towards the community and also to their love towards the mother tongue.

Que 5. “Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it, metaphorically.” Explain.

Ans – Seemapuri is a place on the outskirts of Delhi where 10000 ragpickers and their families live. The people living there are squatters who migrated from Bangladesh in 1971. The ragpickers live in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water.  No one can imagine that such a place exists on the periphery of Delhi, the capital of India. It stands in stark contrast to the metropolitan city of Delhi. The main city of Delhi, and Seemapuri at its periphery, provide an exemplary case of contradiction. 

In Delhi there is luxury and affluence, there are a host of opportunities and dreams, and in Seemapuri there is squalor, hopelessness and despair. There is no chance for the inhabitants of this area to strive towards the attainment of the prospects offered by Delhi. Thus, although Seemapuri is located at the periphery of Delhi, in the real sense, Delhi is many miles away from it.

Que 6. Give a brief account of life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.

Ans- Seemapuri is a slum area located on the periphery of Delhi. Most of the residents of Seemapuri consist of people who are refugees from Bangladesh. Saheb’s family is among them. The area consists of mud structures, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. They do not have facilities of sewage, drainage or running water. About 10000 ragpickers live here. Their only means of livelihood is finding saleable items from rubbish. Thus, for them, the rubbish is as valuable as gold, for their survival depends on what they find in the rubbish. These rag pickers have lived here for more than thirty years without any identity. They do not have permits but have ration cards, thanks to the selfish whims and wishes of the politicians. With these, they can get their name on the voter’s lists and also buy grains for themselves at a subsidised rate.

Que 7. ‘Saheb is no longer his own master.’ Comment.

Ans – Grinding poverty and the necessity for a life of subsistence have involved Saheb in ragpicking. Rummaging through garbage does not provide him with a regular income but gives him freedom. He has all the liberty in the world to roam with his friends in the streets without any worries to bother him. Also, he can hunt for ’gold’ in the garbage dumps. It provides him a hope and a thrill every day in the form of a rupee or a ten-rupee note. So, he looks forward to ragpicking. The job he takes up at a tea stall is one of his attempts to become his own master. Ironically, this further enslaves him. He is now not free to roam aimlessly in the streets. His new occupation binds him to serve somebody else.

Que 8. “It is his karam, his destiny” that made Mukesh’s grandfather go blind. How did Mukesh disprove this belief by choosing a new vocation and making his own destiny?

Ans – Mukesh disproved this belief that bangle-making was his destiny by choosing a new vocation and making his own destiny. He decided to become a motor-mechanic and learn to drive a car. As he had seen his parents and others suffer because of the vicious circle of poverty and exploitation by the sahukars, middlemen, politicians and the police, he did not want to remain in the bangle-making profession. He had the courage to break free from the family lineage of bangle-making and was ready to walk a long distance to reach a motor garage to learn the vocation of car mechanic. He had even thought that he would request the garage owner to hire him initially as a helper and learn the trade. Finally, he also wanted to learn to drive a car. Thus, Mukesh was ready to make his destiny by choosing a new vocation and break the age old belief.

Que 9. The story, “The Rattrap” is both entertaining and philosophical. Do you agree with this statement? Why/Why not?

Answer:- The story, “The Rattrap” is indeed, both entertaining an philosophical. The fast-paced narrative in the the person, generous use of dialogue by the author and different characters belonging to different mindsets and locales make the story interesting and entertaining. Besides, the author has managed to keep up the suspense till the end. The incidents in the Forge, with the ironmaster coming at midnight, hold our attention. The peddler’s constant refusals to the ironmaster to accompany him, but his accepting Edla’s invitation in one go, the ironmaster’s realization of his mistake, and Edla’s sympathy and generosity, all make the story quite gripping. While all the above events make the story interesting, there is also an element of philosophy in the story. Somewhere, the peddler’s theory of the world being a rattrap is true. One feels caught up like a rat in the entrappings of the world. Some people fall into this trap never to come out of it again. The story teaches us that, as human beings, we are not above temptations.

Que 10. Do you think the title, “The Rattrap” is appropriate? Give examples from the text in support of your view.

Ans:- Selma Lagerlof gives a very apt an logical title to the story. The metaphor not correct of the rattrap is very effectively used. The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap. All riches, joys, food and shelter are just baits. These baits make people restless, helpless and powerless. The moment anyone touches the bait, the rattrap closes in on him. Then everything comes to an end. The story revolves around the vagabond, who, though philosophises about the world being a rattrap, falls into its trap. Though the crofter shows him kindness by offering him food and shelter, he robs him. His greed for money makes him fall in the rattrap. Further, when the ironmaster mistakes him to be an old friend, he does him. He decides to cheat him of his money. So even though the peddler tries hard not to fall into the rattrap or worldly riches and materialistic benefits, he ultimately falls into one.

Que 11. How did the peddler feel after robbing the crofter? What course of life did he adopt and how did he react to the new situation?

Ans:- The peddler did not respect the confidence that the crofter had shown in him. As soon as the crofter went to milk his cow, the peddler smashed the window pane and took away the crofter’s thirty kronors. He was quite happy at his smartness. The peddler did not feel any prick in his conscience due to his act of thievery. But he realized that he must not walk on the public highway. Therefore, he turned to the woods. Initially he did not have any problem. Later in the day it became very bad. It was a big and confusing forest. He tried to walk in a definite direction, but the paths twisted back and forth strangely. He walked and walked without coming to the end of the forest. Finally he realized that he had been walking around in the same part of the forest. All at once he recalled his thoughts about the world and the rattrap. He thought now his turn had come. He thought, he had let himself befooled by a bait and had been caught.

Que 12. Why did Raj Kumar Shukla invite Gandhiji to Champaran? How did Gandhiji solve the problem of the indigo farmers?

Ans- Raj Kumar Shukla invited Gandhiji to Champaran to fight against the injustice meted out to the peasants in Champaran. Gandhiji scolded the lawyers for collecting big fees from the sharecroppers. He telegraphed Dr. Rajendra Prasad to come from Bihar with his friends who conferred with Gandhiji who asked them what they would do if he was sentenced to prison. The senior lawyers replied that they had come to advise and help him. Being a stranger Gandhiji was prepared to go to prison for the sake of the peasants. They also agreed to follow Gandhiji to jail. Gandhiji and the lawyers had written down dispositions by about ten thousand peasants and notes made on other evidences. He was served summons but remained firm. Then he received a written communication from the magistrate that the Lt. Governor of the province had ordered the case to be dropped. Gandhiji agreed to a settlement of 25% refund to the farmers.

Que 13. Subbu was a many sided genius, who gave definition and direction to the studio in its golden years. Elaborate.

Ans. Subbu a man of genius had a separate identity at Gemini studio. He was always cheerful and willing to work for others. He was loyal to the principal and used all his creativity to his advantages. He gave direction and definition to Gemini studio. he composed story poems and novels and carved beautiful characters. He was a highly capable literature writer. He was an amazing character and actor but never aspired for leading roles.
Subbu was a charitable and important person. He supported dozens of near and dear ones. He was quite close to the Boss and was taken as No. 2 of the Gemini studio.

Que 14. The staff at Gemini studio enjoyed hosting the MRA while the visit of the English poet remained an unexplained mistery. Discuss.

Ans.

• Saff of Gemini studio had nice time hosting MRA
• MRA presented the plays ‘Jotham valley’ and ‘The Forgotten Factor’
• Gemini family of six hundred saw the plays over and over again.
• The first-rate sets and costumers used in the plays were highly appreciated.
• They were terribly impressed by the manner the plays depicted the scenes of sunrise to sunset. A change from the usual collection of crowd players.
• Visit of English poet just the opposite. Poet very English, very serious, unknown to the staff of Gemini studio. No body understood what the poet said.
• Audience dazed and silent by the unfamiliar accent. The audience and the poet both parted in utter bafflement. His visit remained an unexplained mystery

Que 15. What kind of writer is Umberto Eco? What sort of writing does he have to his credit?

Ans. Umberto Eco is a versatile writer. He had already acquired a formidable reputation as a scholar for his ideas on semiotics literary interpretation and medieval aesthetics before he turned to non-fiction writing. He had a narrative style of writing. He has writings like literary fiction, academic texts, essays, children’s books, and newspaper articles to his credit. He believes in non-violence and peace. He has written five novels and more than forty non-fiction works.

Que 16. Why do some celebrities despise interview? Are they justified? 

Ans.

• Feel unwanted intrusion in their lives.
• According to Naipaul people are wounded and lose a part of themselves.
• Lewis Carol is horrified by the name of interviewer.
• Kipling terms it immoral, criminal.
• H.G. Wells refers it as an ordeal.
• To an extent justified – being victims.

Que 17. What impression do you form of Sophie on reading the Story going places’?

Ans. Sophie is like any other teenager having her own dreams and fancies. She is an escapist. She is an escapist. Her ambitions have no relation with the harsh realities of life. She wants to have a boutique, be an actress or a fashion designer. She develops a romantic fascination for Danny Casey who is a young Irish footballer. She indulges in hero worshipping. She becomes sad when Casey does not come. She suffers because of her dreams which are the creations of her own mind.

Que 18. Comment on the social background and the life of the people in ‘Going places’.

Ans.

• Helpless, hardworking law abiding, middle class people.
• Sophie’s father and brother work hard at their jobs, mother busy with the house hold chores.
• Geoff is an apprentice mechanic. His jacket is shapeless.
• Sophie’s father lacks sophistication.
• There is stove in the same room where dirty washing is piled in a corner.
• All these indicators confirm their lower middle class family background

Que 19. Sophie was a dreamer, an escapist. How?

Ans. Sophie was given to fantasies.

• Walked by the canal along a shattered path in the late evening.
• Imagined Casey coming, excited.
• Watched for him, imagined asking for an autograph.
• Sad while waiting and knowing he would not come.
• Inventing explanations to satisfy her family.

Que 20. What is the message that Stephen Spender wants to give through the poem. An Elementary School Classroom In a Slum’?

Ans- In ‘An Elementary School Classroom In a Slum’ the poet Stephen Spender deals with the themes of social injustice and class inequalities. There are two different worlds. The world of so called ‘civilized’ men has nothing to do with the children living in slums. Nor have the art, culture and literature any relevance to them. They live in dark, narrow cramped, holes and lanes. Unless the wide gap between the two worlds is abridged there can’t be any real progress or development. The barriers that bind them will have to be made mentally and physically free to lead happy lives.

Que 21. Write in brief the summary of the poem.

Ans: The poet describes some children sitting in an elementary school in a slum. The children sitting here present a very miserable view. Their hair are like weeds and scattered on their pale face. A tall girl is sitting with her head bent. There is a small and thin looking boy. His eyes are like that of a rat’s eyes. Then there is an another boy who has disease of swollen and twisted bones and joints. He has got his disease from his father. The poet notices a young and sweet boy sitting at the back of the class. He is perhaps dreaming about the squirrel’s game in a tree-room for him¬self also. The poet says that the walls of the classroom are cream. They smell like sour cream. There is a bust of Shakespeare in the classroom. There are pictures of big church and the Tyrolese valley having bell-shaped flowers. There is an open-handed map, which shows all the places of the world. But ironically for the children living in the slum their world is not that map but only the scene that can be seen outside the window of their classroom. He says that Shakespeare is wicked for the children. The big map with all its places, ships and so on tempts the children to steal. These children have to spend their lives in small homes. Their lives are nothing but an endless night. The children have grown so weak that their bones could be seen from their skin. Many of these wear spectacles, and these spectacles have mended glass. The poet appeals to the governor, inspector and the visitors to do something for the poor children.The children should be shown green fields; they should be allowed to live a free and carefree life. Without any worry they can concentrate well on their studies. The poet says only those people create history who are carefree.

Que 22. What is the message of the poem “A Thing of Beauty”?

Ans: The very first line contains the message that John Keats wants to convey. Keats was a worshipper of beauty. For him beauty was truth and truth, beauty. Hence, for him a thing of beauty is a joy forever. Beauty never fades. Nor is it ever devalued. It never passes into nothingness. When we are full of sorrows and sufferings, some form of beauty comes to our rescue. It removes the pall of sadness and sorrows and gives us joy and happiness. Thus, beauty is a boon for human beings.

Que 23. Name the beauties of nature that are constant source of joy and happiness to man.

Ans: Nature is a store-house of beauty. The beauties of nature are endless. The sun, the moon, old and young trees, beautiful daffodil flowers and green surroundings are some of such beautiful things. Small streams with clear water, thick mass of ferns, thickets of  forests and musk-rose are some other things of beauty. All such things of beauty are a constant source of joy and happiness to man.

Que 24. “The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress.’ What are the ways in which we attempt to overcome them?

Ans: The different ways by which we attempt to overcome them are by hallucinating, taking psychedelic drugs (LSD), making virtual friends online, taking part in death defying adventure sports, watching movies, taking part in various cultural activities, taking up a hobby and perusing it, taking a break in the form of a holiday or a journey to a destination, pampering us in spas and health resorts, going on a spending spree, dabbling in technological gizmos, flaunting our sexuality and breaking gender stereotypes etc. We try to indulge in some activity which is neither routine nor necessitated by our livelihood. We prefer to take controlled risks to get an adrenaline rush. We try to do things which results in an adventure and which adds thrill and excitement to our life.

Que 25. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?

Ans: Yes, the dimensions of time and space overlap each other and creates a bridge between individual fantasy and public reality. Public time encroaches into personal space. A doorway through time that expands the boundaries of space is created in the story by means of Charley’s narrative and Sam’s letter from the past. Space and time come together to mould a  new reality – the third level. Third level is a defined space but that belongs to the past. However, in the story that space from the past is accessible in the present time. So, the past becomes present in the story by means of a common and shared space. Third level is the  common space which is from the past but also accessible in the present. The boundaries between past time and present time is merged in a common space called the third level. 

Que 26. How does Jack Finney describe Galesburg, Illinois as it was in 1984?

Ans: The author using words paints a beautiful picture of Galesburg, Illinois as it was in 1894. The author presents that through the mouth of the central character named Charley. Charley describes the place as quiet and peaceful. It is far removed from the rush hour of a modern city. The lifestyle is relaxed, and the residents have enough time for socialising and leisure. The strong presence of nature adds beauty to the landscape. The community living there lived a peaceful life among trees, fireflies and picturesque landscape. He refers to the huge trees and lawns. He also talks about the rural nature of the community contrasted to the fast-moving life of an urban settlement. Then he also talks about the World Wars emphasizes how that community was unaware of the death and destruction, fear and trauma, enmity and hatred of the wars and still lived happily believing in human friendship and sharing.

Que 27. How did the Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his death? How did the prediction of the chief astrologer come true, though he had killed the hundred tigers?

Ans. It was the 3rd birthday of the Maharaja’s son and he wanted to buy a present from the toy shop. He bought a wooden tiger which was poorly carved by an unskilled carpenter. It had a rough surface with tiny slivers of wood standing up like quills all over it, his arm got infected. In four days, it developed into a suppurating sore and spread all over the arm. The King died while being operated upon. The King’s death is ironical but not surprising. Having ‘killed’ the 100th tiger, the king was thrilled for he had fulfilled his vow and disproved the prediction of the royal astrologer. He was at ease for he thought he would not die of a tiger’s attack. No wonder, he ordered the ‘dead’ tiger to be taken in a procession through the town and get a tomb erected over it. All this while he did not know that the 100th victim was not killed by him but by other hunters. That is indeed quite ironical. Death was lurking around him and the king was unaware of it. Again, it is ironical that a king who had killed 100 tigers and was bold and fearless died of a mere sliver on the body of a wooden tiger. Thus, ironically death does come to him from a tiger.

Que 28. How flattery is eating into roots of our society and polity? Explain taking reference from ‘The Tiger King?

Ans. Flattery is evident in almost all places. It basically satisfies the ego of person who is being treated in lofty terms. With words and gestures a false world is created around so as to befool that fellow. Actually, the person frames unrealistic ideas about himself and falls prey to the sweetened pills. Wrong deeds are committed so as to meet the self-interest. The genuine people are ignored at the cost of fake ones. It checks the healthy growth of relationships and hence the development of society. The real a use and issues are left behind and pretensions prevail. This whole idea unfolds in The Tiger King in humorous manner – to appease the king, the courtiers did not spare a chance to fulfill his whims and fancies. Such sort of administration leads to the ultimate fall of a state. The King met his end on the operation table at the hands of his saviors i.e., the doctors.

Que 29. Why do Tishani Doshi call her trip to Antarctica ̳Journey to the End of the Earth‘?

Ans. Tishani Doshi‘s journey began 13.09 degree of the Equator in Madras. It involves crossing nine time zones, six check points, three bodies of water and many ecospheres. She travelled for 100 hours in combination of car, aeroplane and ship. Setting foot on the continent, she turned emotional viewing expanded white landscape and uninterrupted blue horizon with a relief. She was wondered seeing its immensity and isolation. It was unbelievable for her to know that Antarctica and India were the part of same landmass. She felt that she had reached to the part history: to get of where we have come from and where we could go possibly. It is signficant to understand the evolution to this system.

Que 30. How hasrapid increase in human population left mark‘s on nature and its resources ?

Ans. Human population has been around 12000 years on the planet. Its very short passage of time on geological clock. During this period human has created ruckus, dominance on nature hasleftscars. Beautiful green land has turned into villages, towns, cities and mega cities. Many of the species have extinct, many of them are struggling to survive. Over consumption of the natural resources has been leading to a great threat to all the creatures. Fossil fuel has created a blanket of carbon dioxide resulting in climate change, global warming and depletion in ozone layer. It is disrupting food chain too. Humans do not have bright future unless ecological balance is maintained.

Que 31. Why did Sadao Hoki go to America? What do you learn about his experiences there?

Ans: Sadao’s education was his father’s chief concern. So he had been sent at twenty-two to America to leam all that could be learnt of surgery and medicine. He studied there for eight years and returned to Japan at thirty. Before his father died, Sadao had become famous not only as a surgeon, but also as a scientist. He had had great difficulty in finding a place to live in America because he was a Japanese. The Americans were full of prejudice and it had been bitter to live in it, knowing himself to be superior to them. An ignorant and dirty old woman at last consented to house him in her miserable home. He found her repulsive to him even in her kindness. One of his American professors and his wife were kind people. They were anxious to do something for their few foreign students. But their rooms were quite small, the food was very bad, the professor was a dull person and his wife was a silly talkative woman.

Que 32. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?

Ans: It is the best possible option-general had promised him that he would get the soldier quietly killed through his private assassins-but he forgot to get rid of- Dr. Sadao could do nothing-he wanted to get rid of the wounded soldier-as the servants had left the house-and news could be spread-so he devised his own plan to get the soldier off to the nearby island-managed his boat for the soldier and instructed him. The white soldier took leave of him and followed his instruction and managed to escape safely. Thus all this proves that that was the only way out for Dr. Sadao to the problem.

Que 33. What will Dr Sadao and his wife do with the man?

Ans: Dr Sadao and his wife, Hana, had told the servants that they only wanted to bring the man to his senses so that they could turn him over as a prisoner. They knew that the best possible course under the circumstances was to put him back into the sea. However, Dr Sadao was against handing over a wounded man to the police. He dedded to carry him into his house. He operated upon him and extracted the bullet from his body. He kept the white man in his house. He and his wife looked after him and fed him till he was strong enough to walk on his legs.

Que 34. What will Dr Sadao do to get rid of the man?

Ans: Dr Sadao had told the old General that he had operated upon a white man. The General promised to send his private assassins to kill the man silently and secretly at night and remove his body. Dr Sadao left the outer partition of white man’s room open. He waited anxiously for three nights. The servants had left their house. His wife Hana had to cook, clean the house and serve the wounded man. She was unaccustomed to this labour. She was anxious that they should get rid of the man. Dr Sadao told Tom, the white man, that he was quite well then. He offered to put his boat on the shore that night. It would have food and extra clothing in it. Tom might be able to row to the little island which was not far from the coast. It had not been fortified. The .water was quite deep. Nobody lived there, as it was submerged in storm. Since it was not the season of storm, he could live there till he saw a Korean fishing boat pass by. He gave the man his flashlight. He was to signal twice with his flashlight at sunset in case his food ran out. In case, he was still there and all right, he was to signal only once. Dr Sadao gave the man Japanese clothes and covered his blond head with a black doth. In short, Dr Sadao helped the man to escape from Japan. At the same time he also got rid of the man.

Que 35. Dr Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff? 

Ans: Dr Sadao and his wife, Hana, together lifted the wounded man and carried him to an empty bedroom in their house. The man was very dirty. Sadao suggested that he had better be washed. He offered to do so if she would fetch water. Hana was against it. She suggested that the maid, Yumi, could wash the man. They would have to tell the servants. Dr Sadao examined the man again and remarked that the man would die unless he was operated upon at once. He left the room to bring his surgical instruments. The servants did not approve of their master’s decision to heal the wound of a white man. Even Yumi refused to wash the white man. There was so fierce a look of resistance upon Yumi’s round dull face that Hana felt unreasonably afraid. Then she said with dignity that they only wanted to bring him to his senses so that they would turn him over as a prisoner. However, Yumi refused to have anything to do with him. Hana asked Yumi gently to return to her work. The open defiance from the domestic staff hurt Hana’s feelings. She had told the servants to do what their master commanded them. She was convinced of her own superiority. She now became sympathetic to her husband and helped him in his efforts to heal the wounded man.  

Though the sight of the white man was repulsive to her, she washed his face and his upper body. She prepared herself to give him the anaesthetic according to her husband’s instructions. She had never seen an operation. She choked and her face turned pale like sulphur. She felt like vomiting and left for a while. She returned after retching and administered anaesthetic to the man. Thus she co-operated with her husband fully to save the wounded man.there and this situation was full of risk for himself as well as for the doctor and his family. Thus it is quite clear that the reluctance of the soldier was caused by the single motive of self-preservation. He knew from the treatment he had received from the couple that they would save him.

Que 36. What will Dr Sadao do to get rid of the man?

Ans: With the injured American’s health gradually improving, Dr Sadao and Hana were in a fix as to what should be done with him. However, finally Dr Sadao will succeed to get rid of him. Their loyal servants had left them. Keeping him in their house could pose a threat to their lives as well. As Hana’s impatience and distress grew, Dr Sadao revealed the matter to the General who decided to send assassins to kill the young American in his sleep. Keen on getting rid of the escaped war-prisoner, Dr Sadao agreed. However, the matter could not be resolved because the assassins never came. Dr Sadao then planned another way to get rid of him which was overpowered with sympathy and a distant gratitude towards the people he had been linked to in America. He decided to save his patient one more time. He secretly sent him to an isolated island with food, bottled water, clothes, blanket and his own flashlight on a boat from where he boarded a Korean ship to freedom and safety.

Que 37. Why did Sadao Hoki go to America? What do you learn about his experiences there?

Ans: Sadao’s education was his father’s chief concern. So he had been sent at twenty-two to America to leam all that could be learnt of surgery and medicine. He studied there for eight years and returned to Japan at thirty. Before his father died, Sadao had become famous not only as a surgeon, but also as a scientist. He had had great difficulty in finding a place to live in America because he was a Japanese. The Americans were full of prejudice and it had been bitter to live in it, knowing himself to be superior to them. An ignorant and dirty old woman at last consented to house him in her miserable home. He found her repulsive to him even in her kindness. One of his American professors and his wife were kind people. They were anxious to do something for their few foreign students. But their rooms were quite small, the food was very bad, the professor was a dull person and his wife was a silly talkative woman.

Que 38. What was the dilemma that Sadao faced when he saw a wounded, young white man washed to his doorstep? What solution did his wife, Hana, offer to resolve his (Sadao’s) predica¬ment?

Ans: The young white man was bleeding. He had a bullet wound on his lower back. He needed immediate medical attention. Dr Sadao, an eminent surgeon, could do so. But if they sheltered a white man in their house, they would be arrested. On the other hand, if they tinned him over as a prisoner, he would certainly die. Neither of them could put him back into the sea and get rid of him. They were true humanist. So, they hesitated. Sadao declared that being an American, the man was his enemy. He would have handed him over to the police if he had been hale and hearty. But since he was wounded… He left the sentence unfinished implying that he could not do so as he had been trained not to let a man die if he could help him. Hana suggested that they must carry the man inside the house. They must tell the ser¬vants that they intended to hand him over to the police. She reminded her husband of his position and the children. It would endanger all of them if they did not hand that man over as a prisoner of war. His doubts were removed and they decided to carry the man into their house.

Que 39. How did the servants initially react to the presence of a white man in their masters house?

Ans: When Dr Sadao told the cook and the gardener about the wounded young white man, they had brought inside the house, the two servants were frightened and puzzled. The * superstitious old gardener looked so annoyed that he pulled the few hairs on his upper lip. He bluntly told Hana that the master ought not to heal the wound of that white man. He said that the white man ought to die. First he was shot. Then the sea caught him and wounded him with her rocks. If the master healed what the gun and the sea had done, they would take revenge on them. Even the maid, Yumi, refused to wash the man though Hana cried at her severely and told her to do what the master had commanded her to do. The servants seemed to be in a defiant mood. The fierce look of resistance upon Yumi’s dull face frightened Hana. She thought that the servants might report something that was not as it happened. She main¬tained her dignity and told the maid that they wanted to bring him to his senses so that they could turn him over as a prisoner. Even this explanation failed to convince Yumi and she refused to do anything for the white man. Since the white man was not handed over to the police, even after a week, all the servants left on the seventh day after that.

Que 40. Under what circumstances did Dr Sadao let the wounded white man escape? Was it lack of national loyalty, professional ego and sentimentality, human consideration or just an attempt to save his skin?

Ans: Hr Sadao had no love for the repulsive Americans and he considered them his enemies. Unfortunately, the sea-waves pushed a wounded white man to his doorstep. He knew that the best possible thing was to throw him back into the sea. He could not handover a wounded ‘enemy’ to police because he would certainly die. Being a doctor, he could save him and not kill him. His efforts to get him removed with the help of the old General’s private assassins did not bear fruit. He was under a severe strain. His domestic servants had left him. His wife had to do unaccustomed labour and run the household. Moreover, his wife was anxious about his safety. They might be arrested for harbouring an enemy prisoner of war and condemned as traitors. Dr Sadao let the man escape in the larger interest of professional ethics and human consideration. He rose above narrow national loyalty and sentimentality. He did not think of himself as the General had already assured him that no harm would be caused to him. The matter remained unreported and closed from public eyes and ears. The servants returned after the white man had “left”. Everything became normal again.

Que 41. What was the General’s plan to get rid of the American prisoner ? Was it executed ? What traits of the General’s character are highlighted in the lesson ‘The Enemy’? 

Ans: The General made a plan to get rid of the American prisoner by sending his personal assassins to kill the prisoner. He also wanted to remove the body of American prisoner from Sadao’s house. But, unfortunately he could not succeed in his attempt. The plan was i not executed. The General could not send the assassins. The General had an unusual sense of humour as well as frankness and ability to admit his mistake. Dr. Sadao keeps on waiting for three nights for the assassins who fail to turn up. He loses his rest and sleep. Finally he lets the white man escape. When Dr. Sadao tells the General that the man has escaped, the General admits that he forgot his promise. It was carelessness of him but not the lack of patriotism. It is his self-absorption and instinct of preserving himself that saves Dr. Sadao and his family being arrested.  

Que 42. How did Evans manage to plan the escape from, prison?

Ans. The Governor had taken enough precautions. Evans had no visitors. He had no letters. Evans told the Governor that he had got lots of friends. He gave the example of his German teacher. The Governor said he was from the Technical College. Evans seemed to enjoy all this and asked if he had checked it. Reluctantly, the Governor had to admit that far more was going on than he thought or imagined.

Que 43. What suggestion did the handcuffed Evans make while clambering to van?

Ans. Evans observed that the Governor’s German was pretty good and asked if he knew any more of the modem languages. When the Governor said, “Not very well,” Evans grinned happily. He said that he had noticed that they had got some O-Level Italian classes coming up next September. The Governor said that perhaps he wouldn’t be with them next September. Evans pondered over these words and said that he wouldn’t.

Que 44. Who, do you think, has the last laugh—the Governor or Evans? How?

Ans. The Governor is complacent that he has nabbed the run-away prisoner and soon the police van will land him in prison. However, facts prove otherwise. As the van turns to the Oxford road, the silent prison officer unlocks the handcuffs and asks the driver to move on fast. The driver enquires in broad Scots accent where they should make for. Evans suggests Newbury. It is crystal clear that the two persons are accomplices of Evans. He has escaped from prison once again. Hence, it is Evans who has the last laugh.

Que 45. What clues did the answer sheet of Evans provide to the Governor?

Ans, McLeery showed a photocopied sheet to the Governor which had been cleverly superimposed on the last page of the German question paper. The Governor decoded it for Newsbury and by putting together the six figure reference, the index and centre number 313/271 and with the help of the ‘Ordinance Survey Map of Oxfordshire’ he was able to locate Evans in the middle of Chipping Norton. The correction slip provided him with the name of the hotel, ‘The Golden Lion’ where Evans was staying. So Evans was beaten in his own game as he left clues which aided in his arrest. He made things easier as he left the question paper behind in the cell. The clues the Governor got from it were sufficient to help him locate Evans.

Que 46. Asokamitran retired from Gemini studios, but retained his taste for literature.How?

Ans.

• Asokamitran out of Gemini studio with plenty of free time on his hands but no money.
• Literature attracted him most .
• Hunted for new books on footpath in front of the post office.
• Found a pile of books for fifty paisa each – ‘ The God that faild’.
• He read the essays printed in the book contributed by six eminent men of letters.

CBSE Class 12 Study Materials