sentence transformation

Affirmative	Negative	Example
As soon as	No sooner had …than	Aff: As soon as the thief saw the police, he ran away. Neg: No sooner had the thief seen the police than he ran away.
Scarcely …when	No sooner had …. Than	Aff: Scarcely had the thief seen the police when he fled away. Neg: No sooner had the thief seen the police than he fled away.
Hardly ….when	No sooner had … than	Aff: Hardly had the bird seen the hunter when it flew away. Neg: No sooner had the bird seen the hunter than it flew away.
As ….as	Not less …than / no less … than	Aff: My father is as wise as our teacher. Neg: My father is not less wise then our teacher.
Less … than	Not as …. as	Aff: My father is less wise then our teacher. Neg: My father is not as wise as our teacher.
Both ….and	Not only …but also	Aff:He both a student and a player. Neg: He is not only a student but also a player.
Too ….to	So ….that	Aff: He is too weak to walk. Neg: He is so weak that he cannot walk.
Only (person)	None but	Aff: Only God can help us. Neg: None but God can help us.
Only (things)	Nothing but	Aff: He likes only sweet. Neg: He likes nothing but sweet.
Only (age)	Not more than/ Not less than	Aff: He is only ten. Neg: He is not more than ten.
Alone (person)	None but	Aff: God alone can save us. Neg: None but God can save us.
Must	Cannot but / cannot help+verb+ing	Aff: You must obey your parents. Neg: You cannot but obey your parents. / You cannot help obeying your parents.
Have to	Cannot but / Cannot help+verb+ing	Aff:We have to leave this beautiful world. Neg: We cannot but leave this beautiful world. / He cannot help leaving this beautiful world.
Has to	Cannot but / Cannot help+verb+ing	Aff: He has to run his family. Neg: He cannot but run his family. / He cannot help running his family.
Had to	Could not but / could not help+verb+ing	Aff: I had to join the study tour. Neg: I could not but join the study tour. / I could not help joining the study tour.
Need to	Cannot but / cannot help+verb+ing	Aff: I need to go there. Neg: I cannot but go there. / I cannot help going there.
Needed to	Could not but / could not help+verb+ing	Aff: I needed to go there. Neg: I could not but go there. / I could not help going there.
Many	Not a few	Aff: I have many friends. Neg: I have not a few friends.
A few	Not many	Aff: I have a few friends. Neg: I have not many friends.
A little	Not much	Aff: I have a little rice. Neg: I have not much rice.
Much	Not a little	Aff: He has much money. Neg: He has not a little money.
Every + noun Every teacher Every student	There is no + noun+but+verb / There is no … who does not+verb	Aff:Every teacher loves his child. Neg: There is no teacher but loves his child. /  There is no teacher who does not love his child.
Sometimes	Do not always/ Does not always/ Did not always/ Not always	Aff: Ram sometimes comes to our house. Neg: Ram does not always come to our house.
Always	Never + adjective’s antonym	Aff: Sita was always punctual. Neg: Sita was never late.
For the last time	Never …again	Aff: He came here for the last time. Neg: He never came here again.
For good	Never ….again	Aff: He has given up smoking for good. Neg: He will never smoke again.
For ever	Never ….again	Aff: He has left the village for ever. Neg: He will never come to his village again.
Affirmative word	Not + adjective’s antonym	Aff: The man is happy. Neg: The man is not unhappy.
Universal truth	Negative Interrogative (auxiliary + not)	Aff: Health is wealth. Neg: Is not health wealth.?

The Heart of the tree

The Heart of the tree

i.          Who is the poet asking the question in the first line of the extract? List any two things, according to the extract, that man will do by planting trees.

In the opening stanza the poet poses a general question to the readers. According to the poet that man who plants a tree, plants a friend of sun and sky, he plants a home close to heaven as well.

ii.        Give the meaning of the following lines:

The meaning of the given lines:

According to the poet the tree is compared to a friend. He says that the man who plants a tree, plants a friend of sun and sky. The tree is again compared to a flag of free breeze. The tree grows high with its long narrow stem and looks like a beautiful tower.

The tree becomes a home close to heaven as well.

iii.     In what way are the trees friends of sun and sky? How can a man plant the flag of breezes free?

The trees are friends of sun and sky. It takes in carbon dioxide from the air and releases oxygen in the air and thus purifies the air. The man who plants a tree plants the flag of breezes. Like a flag flutters freely in the breeze, the leaves of the tree flutter and provide soothing, cool breeze to us

iv.     What is meant by “the shaft of beauty”? what is compared to the shaft?

The beam of beauty is meant by the shaft of beauty. The growth of the trees is compared to the shaft of a tree. The tree grows high with its long narrow stem and looks like a beautiful tower.

v.        What is the impact of beginning the poem with a question? What is the figure of speech used here?

The general pattern followed in the poem is that of the raising a question and then immediately providing an answer to that question. Literally this technique is known as Hypophora or Antipophora. The poet begins each stanza of the poem with the question, “What does he plant who plants a tree?”

The answer given each time delineates the importance of trees in different spheres of human life.

2.

i. what is known as mother-croon of bird? Why is the song sung in a hushed voice?

The soft song that mother bird is singing to her young one is referred to mother-croon of bird. The mother bird who sings to her young ones happily, with a soft and gentle voice, with hushed tone adds to the pleasant harmony of the universe.

ii. what is twilight? Why is it a happy twilight?

Twilight is referred to the faint light at the end of the day after the sun has gone down. Since the mother bird sings happily, the tone adds to the pleasant harmony of the universe, it is a happy twilight.

iii. what is meant by (a) treble (b) heaven’s harmony? What role does the treble play in heaven’s harmony?

High tone of music is meant by treble.

The way in which different musical notes are played or sung together and combine to make a heavenly pleasant sound is meant by heaven’s harmony.

The high tone of music brings heaven’s harmony to the earth.

iv. in this lesson, under the heading, Style, the meaning of metonymy is given. Give two examples of metonymy from the extract. How is it used in the context?

Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called not by its own name but rather by a metonym, that is, by the name of something associated in meaning with that thing or concept. As we can see, whole of the poem runs on a series of metonymic associations of a tree with its qualities. According to the poet, the one who plants a tree, plants: “cool shade” and “tender rain”

v. give four functions which a tree performs on this earth.

Own

3.

i. enumerate any tree benefits of planting trees as suggested by the poet in this extract. What do the plants do to provide cool shade in a place?

The poet knows the crucial importance of trees for our survival. They cool the atmosphere and cause gentle rain. Trees are the source of “breezes free”, the trees take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen for human beings to inhale.

The plants provide us with all essential nutrients for our body. They are main source of medicine and wood.

ii. The water evaporates, condenses and falls as rain. What role do the trees play in this process of producing rain?

Own

iii. How do the last two lines of the extract explain the process of regeneration? How does the man plant the forest’s heritage?

After many years the old trees will wither away and these seeds will grow into new trees and into a dense forest. This is symbolic of the process of birth, death and regeneration. In this way, trees make the plains beautiful. The forest is inherited by the man who plants a tree.

iv. How do the trees provide for the harvest of the following years?

The poem brings forward the poet’s concern about the future of the Earth. The trees will provide crops to the future generations. Surely, the upcoming generations will reap all the benefits of the trees that are being planted now.

v. What do the expression, unborn eyes indicate? What will they see? Why will they rejoice?

The expression unborn eyes indicates a reference to the future generation, who is yet to be born. According to the poet, our survival is greatly dependent on forests. The one who plants a tree plants the entire forest. This forest is thus the “harvest”, the “coming age” can enjoy.

4.

i. The poet says: “He plants, in sap and leaf and wood”. Which figure of speech is used here? Explain its usage with two other examples from the poem.

Metonymy is the figure of speech which has been used here. In the given sentence the plant is called not by its own name but rather by a metonym, that is, by the name of something associated in meaning with the plant.

According to the name of speech metonymy plant is called “sap and leaf and wood” and it is mentioned “a friend of sun and sky”.

ii. What is meant by “far-cast thought of civic good”? in what way is the planter’s work a blessing? State for whom it is a blessing.

The poet concerned about the future of the Earth. The poet foresees the thought of civic good. The future of the society is meant by far-cast thought of civic good. The man who plants a tree showers his blessing on the neighbourhood. For the upcoming generation planting a tree is a blessing.

iii. Give the meaning of the following lines:

who in the hallow of His hand

Holds all the growth of all our land –

The man who plants a tree he holds all the growth of our Earth. The man who plants a tree his hand holds the future progress of mankind. Our land will become barren without trees. The poet becomes more anxious and could see that the growth of the universe is possible only by planting trees.

iv. In what way a nation’s growth depends on planting trees?

Without trees the world will become a deserted barren land. The entire animal race would face hunger. Thus, it is the tree which is responsible for the growth of mankind.

v. Comment on the appropriateness of the tile of the poem The Heart of the Tree.

“The Heart of the Tree is an appropriate title. The heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body. The human heart pumps the blood, which carries all the vital materials and nutrients. Likewise, a tree has certain qualities, which are as essential as human heart, for survival. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and give out life-giving oxygen for us to inhale. The Heart here thus signifies the most important quality of the tree.

PRINCESS SEPTEMBER

I. (i) The king said that he would cut off the queen’s head after the
birth of their twelfth daughter. The king’s decision to cut off
the queen’s head was strange because he was extremely fond of
his queen. The queen felt uneasy on hearing the king’s decision
to cut off her head because she knew that the king would be
unhappy after doing so.
(ii) The king and queen had nine daughters. They were named after
the months of the year, because they were nine and the days of
the week were not sufficient to name then. The king’s daughter’s
were first named after the four seasons, then the days of the
week and finally months in a year.
(iii) Princess September had a very sweet and charming nature, whereas
her elder sisters had embittered characters. The difference in their
nature was because Princess September, being the youngest, had
just one name, September, whereas her elder sisters’ names had
been changed often, with the change in number of their siblings.
The elder sisters of Princess September out of jealousy offered
to buy her a green and yellow parrot to replace her singing
nightingale.
(iv) (a) The King’s liking for the parrot’s greeting, ‘God Save the
King’ shows that he loved flattery.
(b) The King’s act of giving presents on his birthday shows that
he did not value the feelings or sentiments of those who
used to gift him presents on other occasions as he used to
give those presents to others on his birthday.
(v) Although the king was fond of the queen, yet he decided to
have her head cut off. This shows that he was not emotionally
attached to her.
The queen was finally saved when she gave birth to sons only
and named them after the letters of the alphabet.
II. (i) The parrots could only say ‘God Save the King’ and ‘Pretty Polly’
in seven oriental languages whereas the nightingale could sing
beautifully. The nightingale is shown to be an artist by depicting
her as having good manners befitting an artist like bowing before
the audience and being appreciated.

(ii) The king did not mind hearing the phrase ‘God Save the King’
often but was tired of hearing the parrots repeating the phrase
‘Pretty Polly’.
(iii) Princess September’s parrot died in its golden cage. She was
full of grief on finding that her parrot had died and burst into
tears. She kept on crying and went to bed, without any supper.
(iv) The queen was annoyed at Princess September’s act of bursting
into tears at the loss of her parrot. She considered it as sheer
nonsense and sent Princess September to bed, without supper.
This shows her to be an uncaring and unaffectionate mother.
(v) The maids of Honour wanted to go to a party. So they put
Princess September to bed as quickly as possible and went away
leaving her by herself.
(vi) The beautiful song sung by the nightingale pulled Princess
September out of her gloom.
III. (i) The little bird sang about the lake in the king’s garden, the
reflection of the willow trees in the still water and the goldfish
that seemed to glide in and out of the branches of the willow
tree reflected in the water.
(ii) The nightingale’s song gave comfort to the mourning Princess.
She stopped crying, forgot her grief and that she had not taken
her supper.
(iii) The bird gave the Princess a bow as a part of its artistic good
manners. It tells us that the bird has the temperament of an
artist.
(iv) The little bird offered to take the place of the Princess’ parrot
because of her charming nature and to provide comfort to her
in her grief.
(v) The Princess was delighted to hear the nightingale’s offer and
clapper her hands in joy.
(vi) Princess September and the bird became good friends. The
princess used to take good care of the bird, whereas the bird
used to sing beautiful songs to her as and when she desired.
And as a true friend, the bird did not mind her putting him in
a cage, whereas Princess September granted the bird freedom
realising that a true bird cannot sing in confinement.
IV. (i) ‘They’ refer to the eight parrots that belonged to the eight
princesses. They used to say ‘God Save the King’ and ‘Pretty
Polly’ in seven oriental languages.
(ii) The Princesses made this remark when the king said that he
was tired of hearing their parrots say Pretty Polly.
(iii) The king had a poor opinion of his councillors. According to
him, his councillors said the same thing in seven different ways
but without conveying any meaning. It tells us that the king
had his own fixed principles and did not readily took the ideas
of his councillors.
(iv) The Princesses’ characters were naturally embittered because of
having to change their names often with the change in number
of their sisters.
(v) The Princesses’ first offered to buy a lovely green and yellow
parrot to replace the nightingale, in order to avenge themselves
on Princess September. But when she declined the offer, they
persuaded her to put the nightingale in a cage.
V. (i) The little bird had gone to visit his father-in-law. He returned
so late because he attended the party hosted by his father-inlaw.
(ii) When the bird did not come in time the Princess thought whether
the bird was in any trouble or had he been ensnared by hawks
or men or whether he had forgotten her and taken fancy to
somebody else.
(iii) The Princess finally decided to put the bird in the cage because
she was concerned for his safety and did not want to lose him
as she had lost her parrot.
(iv) The bird questioned the Princess as to why she has put him
in the cage. But when she answered that it was for his safety,
the bird did not mind her putting him in the cage as long as
she would let him out in the morning.
(v) Princess September reasoned that to protect him from her mother’s
prowling cats she had put him in the cage. The bird said that
he did not like living in the cage. But when the Princess told
him that it was for his safety, the bird seemed satisfied with
her reason because he thought that she would let her go out
in the morning.
VI. (i) No, the Princess was not aware of what was good for the bird.
She acted on the advice of her sisters and her own concern
for the safety of the bird, without realising the bird’s need for
freedom.

(ii) The bird said that he could not sing without seeing the trees,
the lake and the green rice growing in the fields, since these
beauties of nature inspired him to sing.
(iii) In order to satisfy the bird’s wish, Princess September took the
bird out in the open air to have him look at the trees, the lake
and the green rice fields.
No, it did not help the bird to sing because he longed for freedom
and not just a glance at nature’s beauty.
(iv) The other Princesses told Princess September to remain firm in
her act of putting the bird in the cage because it was for his
good and safety only and that he would get used to the cage
in a day. They further said that if he was obstinate, he would
die and she would get rid of him.
(v) When the Princess woke up, she saw the nightingale lying at
the bottom of the cage, on his side, with his eyes closed and
looking as if it were dead.
(vi) On seeing the bird lying like a dead one, Princess September
opened the door and lifted the bird with her hand out of the
cage. She felt little relieved on finding that the bird was still
alive. She told the bird that she had put him in the cage for
his safety only but if that is harmfull for him, she would let
him out of the cage to be happy in his own way.
(vii) Princess September’s act of freeing the bird gave a new lease of
life to him. He flew away but kept his promise and continued
to visit Princess September, eating out of her hand and singing
beautiful songs to her.
Princess September kept the window of her room open all the time
for the bird to come and go. This allowed sunlight and fresh air
to enter her room. Consequently, she got nature’s nourishment
and grew up to be extremely beautiful and married the King of
Cambodia.

THE TIGER IN THE TUNNEL

I. (i) Tembu is the twelve year old son of Baldeo, a khalasi at a small
wayside signal stop. Tembu is lying in a corner of a hut near
the station, with his father. He suddenly woke up in the night
and wondered if his father, who used to go every night on his
night duty at the railway signal, had left for the duty as it was
a dark and cold night.
(ii) Tembu’s father was working as a watchman at a small wayside
railway signal. His nightly errand was to signal whether or not
the tunnel was clear of obstruction for the train to pass and to
see that the lamp was burning.
The author has described the night as calm and still by portraying
it as dark, moonless, chilly, having the “deathly, stillness of the
surrounding jungle” which was occasionally broken by the shrill
cry of the cicada, the hollow hammering of a woodpecker or the
grunt of a wild boar.

(iii) It means that there was complete silence on a chilly, dark night
with the only sounds heard occasionally being that of a cicada,
a woodpecker or the grunt of a wild boar. And these occasional
sounds were engulped by the silence of the forest.
(iv) The station was said to be in name only because it was a small
shack where mail trains stopped only for a few seconds before
entering the tunnel.
(v) Most of the trains slowed down near the station because there was
a sharp curve before the cutting which led to the tunnel and to
wait for the signal to make sure if it was free of all obstructions.
II. (i) Baldeo’s duties included—
to check whether the lamp was burning; and
using his hand-worked signal to signal whether or not the tunnel
was clear of obstruction for the train to pass through.
(ii) The station, a small shack, which served as a wayside signal
stop, was three miles away from human habitation. It was
surrounded by dense jungle with hills overhanging the main
line of the railway. A deep cutting in the forest led to a tunnel
through which mail train passed. There was darkness and
complete silence in the jungle with the only sounds heard being
those of a barking deer, grunting boar, hammering woodpecker
and that of dense undergrowth.
(iii) The darkness of the night heightened the eeriness of the station
with the black tunnel entrance looming up menacingly.
(iv) Tembu normally used to sleep in his home, in a small tribal
village on the outskirts of the forest, about three miles from the
station, where his father worked as a night watchman.
(v) Baldeo’s financial condition was quite poor as his income from
the small rice fields was not enough to provide for his family.
He considered himself lucky to get the job of a khalasi at the
signal stop because that supplemented his meagre income from
his land in the village.
III. (i) Before leaving for duty, Baldeo lit his lamp and closed the door
of his hut, where his son lay fast asleep.
(ii) Baldeo thought whether the lamp on the signal post would still
be alighted. The path leading to his work place, i.e., the station,
was marked by dense jungle and hills which overhung the main
line of the railway. If he had his way, Baldeo would go back to

his hut and feel the warm comfort there instead of working out
in a chilling, dark night.
(iii) The rock walls towering high above the rails reminded Baldeo of
the wild animals that he might encounter on the way. He had
heard that the tiger frequented the tunnel and was a maneater.
The other animals mentioned included panthers, whom Baldeo
had never seen but had occasionally heard their sawing when
they called their mates.
(iv) Baldeo had a small axe, whose head was made of pure steel,
was thin but ringing time like a bell. Though it looked fragile,
it was deadly when put to use. Baldeo could cut down a tree
using his axe in just three or four swift strokes.
Baldeo was emotionally attached to his axe because it belonged
to his forefathers and its axe-head had been made by his father
over a charcoal fire. That is why he carried the axe wherever
he went and did not part with it in return for a good amount
of money.
(v) Baldeo had excellent skill in using his axe. He could cut down
a tree with just three or four swift strokes using his axe, as
neatly as if it had been sawn. He was proud of it because of
the skill he had acquired in killing wild animals with it.
IV. (i) A cutting refers to a narrow open passage that is dug through
high ground for a railway tunnel or a road.
It means that in the darkness the black entrance to the tunnel
appeared threateningly.
(ii) Just five minutes before the arrival of the mail train, the signal
light was out and Baldeo would have to rush back to his hut
if the oil in the signal lamp had finished.
(iii) The signal light was out and the mail train was due in five
minutes and within five minutes Baldeo had to lit the lamp and
check the tunnel of any obstruction.
Baldeo hauled the lamp down by its chain, checked the oil in
the lamp and finding a little oil still remaining, lit the lamp and
put it back into position. In order to ensure that the line was
clear, Baldeo took his own lamp in his hand walked down the
tunnel and by swinging his lamp, which cast shadows on the
wall made sure that there was no obstruction in the line.
(iv) Baldeo was out in the dark, chilling night at the railway signal.
He walked from his hut to the station, lighted the signal lamp

and checked the tunnel of any obstruction. Since the train
was late, he huddled up in a corner and dozed off in the biting
cold.
(v) Baldeo was indeed a responsible employee. He would not shirk
his duty even in the dead of night, extreme cold and amidst
prowling wild animals. Every night, he used to leave the warmth
of his bed to proceed toward the station, lit the signal lamp and
walking down the tunnel check for any obstruction in the line.
Baldeo was a caring father. He took up the job of a watchman,
unmindful of having to stay away from home and family, just
to supplement his meagre income from land. When he heard
the roar of a tiger, his first thought was whether the tiger was
moving towards his hut, where his son was sleeping unprotected.
V. (i) The absence of usual jungle noises and the thump and rattle of
small stones made by the forward march of the tiger, indicated
that it had entered the cutting.
(ii) Baldeo’s main worry was whether the tiger was moving towards
his hut, where his son, Tembu was fast asleep, unprotected.
It is said that he did not have to wonder for long because he
could see the tiger moving towards him.
(iii) The tiger’s eyes have been described as shining green in the
light from the signal lamp. Baldeo thought that flight would be
useless because the tiger would be faster and sure-footed than
him and would soon pounce upon him.
(iv) As the tiger moved towards Baldeo, he stood with his back to
the signal post, motionless, staring at the tiger with courage
and without being intimidated.
(v) Baldeo did not lose his calm and courage on seeing the tiger
moving towards him. Although he was aware that flight would
be useless, he decided not to be an easy prey to the tiger. He
stood there motionless, waiting for his prey. As the tiger pounced
on him, he hit it with his axe, wounded it and almost served its
leg. Unfortunately, his axe got struck in the tiger’s shoulder, the
tiger tore his body and put to an end the life of valiant Baldeo.
VI. (i) Baldeo was standing at the station with his back to the
signal. The tiger had became fearless because it had become
used to the ways of men, for he had been preying on them for
years.

(ii) The tiger attacked Baldeo with its right paw. But Baldeo, who
was prepared to defend himself, made an agile leap and avoided
the tiger’s paw. He hit his axe on the tiger’s shoulder. The tiger
roared and tried to come closer to Baldeo. This time Baldeo
hit the tiger on the shoulder and almost severed its leg. But
unfortunately, the axe got struck in the tiger’s bone and Baldeo
became weaponless. The tiger, now furious with pain sprang on
Baldeo, tore his body and killed him.
(iii) The overland mail entered the cutting with its engine puffing
and climbing steadily. As it advanced through the trees, the glow
of its furnace could be seen with the showers of sparks falling
like Diwali lights over the forest.
The tiger was in agony because of his wounded leg and did not
notice the faint rumble on the earth caused by the moving train.
The overland mail entered the tunnel and the tiger saw it but
found himself trapped in the narrow cutting with no space to
run for safety.
(iv) The title of the story is quite apt because the entire story revolves
around one incident in which a tiger appears in the tunnel
through which the train used to pass and the deadly encounter
between the ferocious maneater and the night watchman at the
traffic signal.
VII. (i) The wounded tiger failed to notice the train entering the cutting
and was trapped in the tunnel. The train passed through the
tunnel and the tiger was cut into half by the engine and its
major portion got struck in the train’s cowcatcher.
(ii) Baldeo’s body was lying at the cutting. Baldeo’s son, Tembu
sat beside the body guarding it from wild animals. The relief
watchman arrived early at the dawn.
(iii) Baldeo’s family remained grief-stricken for two whole days.
However, despite the great tragedy of losing his father and the
only earning member, Baldeo’s son, Tembu took over his father’s
responsibility on himself and assumed the job of a watchman
at the signal stop.
(iv) Tembu took up his father’s responsibility with the confidence
that his father’s axe and blessings are with him. He was no
longer afraid of anything because his father had killed the most
fearsome enemy—the maneater tiger.
(v) For the answer, please refer to the Extract V, (v).

THE BET

I. (i) The old banker hosted the party. The people who attended the
party included journalists, intellectuals, a lawyer and a banker.
The host was in a depressing and reminiscent mood.
(ii) Capital punishment was the topic of discussion at the party. Life
imprisonment was the alternative suggested in place of capital
punishment.
(iii) The majority of guests at the party were against giving death
penalty as they considered it out of date, immoral and unsuitable
for Christian states.
(iv) The host’s view was that capital punishment was more moral than
life imprisonment. He justified his view by stating that capital
punishment kills a man at once, whereas life imprisonment kills
a man slowly.
(v) According to the young lawyer, both capital punishment and life
sentence were immoral. But given a choice, he would go for life
imprisonment because to live is better than not living at all.
I am in/not in favour of capital punishment:
For: (a) Capital punishment achieves nothing but revenge.
(b) A criminal is a mentally sick person who must
be cured of his ailment rather than be destroyed
completely.
(c) Capital punishment does not reform the criminal
but just eliminates him.
(d) Capital punishment does not act as a deterrent
against crime. The claim that capital punishment
reduces violent crime is inconclusive and certainly
not proven.
Against: (a) All humans have the right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness. When someone wilfully commits
crimes against his fellow humans, he should be
given capital punishment.
(b) Lesser sentence or life imprisonment will remove the
fear and deterrence instilled by capital punishment.
(c) When the criminals will be out, they will be free
to resume their nefarious activities and even take
revenge against the law enforcing agencies or the
relatives of the victims.

II. (i) The bet stipulated that if the lawyer would remain in solitary
confinement for a period of fifteen years, the banker would pay
him two million roubles. It was wild and senseless because by
accepting it, the lawyer would lose his freedom and the best
years of his life in confinement, just for the sake of getting two
million roubles.
(ii) It tells us that the banker was a mean and heartless fellow, who
sought to ruin the youth and the life of the lawyer by setting
inhuman and unreasonable conditions for the bet.
(iii) The lawyer accepted the bet as a challenge and for the sake of
getting two million roubles. The lawyer’s act of accepting such
a bet shows him to be a daring but greedy fellow.
(iv) The banker warned the lawyer to think again about it because
by undertaking such a bet, he would lose the best years of his
life in prison. He also told him that voluntary confinement is
much more harder than being in compulsory confinement. He
felt sorry for the lawyer because the latter would ruin his life
by undertaking the bet.
(v) The banker questioned himself about the object of the bet, the
good involved in lawyers’ losing fifteen years of his life and his
throwing away two million roubles and whether the bet can prove
that the death penalty is better or worse than life imprisonment.
The banker’s desire to prove his point that capital punishment is
better than life imprisonment prompted him to risk two million
roubles on a bet.
(vi) The banker cursed the bet he undertook fifteen years ago
because his fortune had declined and he was himself in debt.
By paying the lawyer, two million roubles, he would be ruined.
The lawyer, on the other hand, decided to forfeit the bet he had
undertaken fifteen years ago, to prove the futility and fleeting
nature of worldly possessions.
(vii) The bet between the lawyer and the banker was unreasonable
and inhuman because it put at stake the freedom and youth
of a man for fifteen long years, just to prove which of the two
options — capital punishment or life imprisonment is better.
The lawyer staked more because he staked his freedom and
his youth by being in confinement for fifteen years, whereas
the banker staked only money, which can be recovered, unlike
youth and time lost, which can never be regained.

III. (i) In the second year of his confinement, the prisoner did not
play any music and no piano was heard. This was because he
wanted to study only the classics.
(ii) In the second year the prisoner asked for classics to read,
whereas in the fifth year of his confinement, he altogether gave
up reading books.
(iii) In the first year of his confinement, the prisoner refused to
take wine because he believed that wine excites the desires and
desires are the worst enemy of a prisoner. Besides, he felt that
nothing could be more gloomy than drinking wine and not being
able to meet anyone.
(iv) In the fifth year of his confinement, the prisoner indulged in
music, eating, drinking, lying on his bed, frequently yawning,
angrily talking to himself and writing at night and tearing up
in the morning, all that he had written.
(v) The prisoner used to tear up all that he had written at night,
in the morning. He did so to spend time and avoid the bouts
of depression. Besides, he was not interested in anything.
(vi) The prisoner’s act of crying tells us that he was in a state of
depression, restlessness and frustration.
IV. (i) The first ‘them’ in the first line of the extract refers to the people
who knew six languages in which the prisoner had written a
letter to the banker. The prisoner wanted them to read the letter
he had written to the banker.
(ii) The prisoner took a great interest in learning languages is hinted
from the fact that he procured six hundred volumes of books
related to languages. The banker had the difficulty in getting
the books which the prisoner wanted to become proficient in
different languages.
(iii) It means that although people belonging to different lands speak
different languages, but their feelings and thoughts are the same.
(iv) The prisoner wanted the banker to fire a shot in the garden if
the experts in different languages could not find a single mistake
in the letter he had written in six languages. In this way, he
would be able to prove himself that all the efforts he made in
learning different languages were not a waste.
The banker ordered two shots to be fired in the garden to
recognise the proficiency the prisoner had acquired in different
languages over the years.

(v) It shows that prisoner was a seeker of knowledge, who wanted
to understand the reality of life through books because in
confinement, he could not gain it through life’s experiences.
V. (i) The banker’s fortune declined because of wild speculation and
gambling on the Stock Exchange. As a result of decline in his
fortune, the banker who used to be a proud, fearless, selfconfident
millionaire, became a banker of middling rank, fearing
loss at every rise and fall in his investments.
(ii) The old man described the bet as ‘cursed’ because by following
the conditions laid down in the bet, he would go bankrupt if had
to pay two million roubles to the lawyer. The banker clutched his
head, cursed the bet and the lawyer for the miserable condition
in which he was.
(iii) The old man wished the prisoner to have died. He wished so
because, he would be spared the payment of two million roubles
to the prisoner, as stipulated in the bet.
(iv) The prisoner would take the money from the banker and use it
to get married, enjoy life and gamble on the Stock Exchange.
(v) The old man said that he would look at the prisoner with
envy because by paying two million roubles to the prisoner as
stipulated in the bet, the old man would be reduced to the state
of a pauper, whereas the prisoner would regain his freedom,
marry and enjoy life.
This shows that the banker was a jealous and selfish man, who
could not stand the success of another person. Further, instead
of improving himself, he blamed others for his downfall.
(vi) The old man decided to unlock the garden house door, kill the
prisoner and throw the blame on the watchman, to save himself
from paying money to the prisoner.
The banker’s resolve to kill the prisoner creates surprise in the
story by arousing anxiety among the readers about the outcome
of the banker’s resolve and its further consequences for both
the banker and the prisoner.
VI. (i) Fifteen years of solitary confinement in the prison, made the
prisoner calm and at peace within himself so that he could
sit still, perhaps in a state of meditation. The prisoner did not
respond at all to the banker’s tapping at the window because
he was fast asleep.

(ii) The banker was in a state of despair when he broke the seals off
the door. He was in a state of despair because only a day was
left for the final accounting of the stipulated fifteen years of the
bet and he would have to pay two million roubles to the prisoner.
(iii) The author wants to create suspense in the story by usig
expressions like ‘rusty’, ‘lock’, ‘grating sound’ and ‘creaking door’.
These expressions hint at the passage of fifteen years as well
as the miserable condition in which the prisoner might be.
(iv) The banker expected to hear the footsteps of the prisoner because
he thought that the latter would rush towards the door and give
a cry of amazement on knowing that somebody had opened the
door and he would be freed from the prison.
(v) The banker finally decided to enter the lodge in his garden,
where the lawyer has been in captivity for the last fifteen years.
He made up his mind to go inside the lodge to kill the prisoner
and put to an end the bet and the issue of paying two million
roubles to the prisoner.
(vi) The banker thought that the prisoner would be dreaming about
the two million roubles, he was likely to get after completing
the stipulated time period of fifteen years in prison.
(vii) The prisoner is to be pitied for the condition in which he
landed himself for his greed for money. He staked his liberty
and youth for fifteen years in return for two million roubles.
He did realise the worthlessness of the materialistic world and
the need for introspection, after fifteen years of being in solitary
confinement. However, his efforts to learn and excel in many
areas of achievements in the confinement are praiseworthy.
VII. (i) The watchman of the lodge informed the banker about the
disappearance of the prisoner from the lodge. The prisoner stayed
for five hours less than fifteen years in confinement.
(ii) The prisoner renounced the two million roubles because fifteen
years of his confinement in the prison, during which he moved
from one enthusiasm to other like music, eating, drinking,
sleeping, smoking and reading books made him realise that
nothing endures in this world: death destroys everything and
everyone. Therefore, this world is empty, illusory and doomed.
(iii) The banker after reading the prisoner’s note underwent a
transformation of heart. He wept and felt a great contempt for
himself. When he reached home and tried to sleep, he could not
do so because his tears and emotions kept him awake for hours.

(iv) The banker kept the note in the safe to avoid the arousal of
unnecessary suspicion among the people regarding the bet and
the prisoner. This act of the banker suggests that he was a
self-protective man, who does not want to land himself in any
trouble because of the prisoner’s note.
(v) At the end of the story, the prisoner realised the worthlessness
of the material world and rejected all the pleasures he has
experienced and renounced the two million roubles he could
have won, as stipulated in the bet. The banker, after seeing
the emaciated condition of the prisoner and reading his note,
became remorseful for his inhuman bet and felt great contempt
for himself.
(vi) The Bet is an appropriate title for the story because:
(a) the entire story revolves around the ‘bet’ between two people—a
banker and a lawyer. The banker staked two million roubles,
whereas the lawyer staked his freedom and his youth for
fifteen long years in confinement.
(b) symbolically, human life itself is a bet, where we stake
everything to achieve material possessions, but realise their
futility only after losing everything, i.e., life itself.

THE KABULIWALA

I. (i) The father in the extract is the narrator and the daughter is
the narrator’s daughter, Mini. It can be concluded from the
daughter’s questions that she is a talkative girl, always bursting
with questions.
(ii) The two fathers in the story are — the narrator and Rahamat,
the Kabuliwala. The narrator is an author by profession, whereas
Rahamat is a pedlar, who brings seasonal goods from his country,
Afghanistan and sells them in India.
(iii) The most important traits of the daughter’s character are that
she is talkative and always questioning. Her father says that her
daughter has not wasted a single moment of her life remaining
silent.
(iv) The father had started writing the seventeenth chapter of his
novel, the moment his daughter, Mini, entered the room. The
father shows that he is patient with his daughter by listening to
her volley of questions without saying anything and later joining
her prattle and having a lively talk with her.
(v) The main theme of the story, The Kabuliwala is human relationships
that exist on different levels — the relationship between a
father and his daughter, represented by the narrator and his
daughter, Mini; the relationship between the Kabuliwala and
Mini, a representation of the Kabuliwala’s relationship with his
own daughter, who is far away from him; and Mini’s relationship
with her mother, who is quite protective of her daughter.

II. (i) The narrator is the speaker here. He was startled to see Mini
laughing and talking with the Kabuliwala because initially she
was scared of the Kabuliwala. She had the unknown fear that the
Kabuliwala carried several living children like herself in his bag.
(ii) The Kabuliwala was a pedlar, who used to bring dry fruits and
other goods from his country, Afghanistan and sell them in India.
Kabuliwala was a tall, shabbily dressed Afghan, who used to
wear a turban on his head and carry a bag over his shoulder
and a few boxes of dry grapes in his hand.
(iii) The first meeting between Mini and the Kabuliwala happened
when she called him to her house. But when the Kabuliwala
came, she got frightened and ran inside. She came only when
her father called her out. She stood nervously, pressing her
father’s body and looking suspiciously at the Kabuliwala and his
bag. When the Kabuliwala offered her some raisins and apricots
from his bag, she refused to take them and clung closer to her
father with a redoubled suspicion.
(iv) Mini overcame her fear of Kabuliwala when her father called
her from inside the house to meet the Kabuliwala. Mini’s fear of
Kabuliwala carrying several children like her in his bag subsided,
when the Kabuliwala took out some dry fruits from his bag and
offered them to her.
(v) The narrator paid half-a-rupee coin to the Kabuliwala for the
almonds and raisins he gave to Mini as gifts. The Kabuliwala
gave the money to Mini.
(vi) When Kabuliwala gave the money paid by Mini’s father to Mini,
Mini’s mother got annoyed that her daughter had accepted the
money from a stranger. Mini’s father rescued Mini from her
mother’s wrath by taking her out for a walk.
III. (i) Mini’s mother’s fear that the world was full of thieves, bandits,
drunkards, malaria and cockroaches, waiting for an opportunity
to harm her family, is referred to in the extract.
(ii) The lady is not able to overcome the fear because she has been
hearing about instances of child abduction, theft and robbery
and is too concerned about the welfare of her family.
(iii) She is full of suspicion about the Kabuliwala because she
has heard tales of child abduction and robbery prevalent in
Afghanistan, the country to which the Kabuliwala belonged.
Since, the Kabuliwala was a huge and tall man, she feared that
he could kidnap her daughter, Mini.

(iv) She was annoyed at her daughter’s act of accepting things
from a stranger, i.e., the Kabuliwala. She had the fear that the
Kabuliwala was trying to befriend her daughter by giving her
gifts, with the intention of kidnaping her.
(v) The ‘pointed questions’ that the lady asked the narrator included —
were there no instances of child abduction, was not slave trade
in practice in Afghanistan and was it impossible for a giant like
Kabuliwala to kidnap a little child.
(vi) The narrator had to agree to the doubts of his wife because her
doubts were not impossible. No, he did not succeed in allaying
her wife’s fear.
IV. (i) The dishonest man was the narrator’s neighbour, who had bought
a Rampuri shawl from the Kabuliwala on credit. Rahamat was
hurling abuses at him because when he asked for his payment
for the shawl, the man denied having bought the shawl.
(ii) The ‘usual exchange’ refers to Mini’s questioning Kabuliwala
about the contents in his bag.
(iii) When Mini asked Kabuliwala if he was going to his in-laws’
house, he replied that he was going there only.
(iv) The Kabuliwala was charged with murderous assault. He was
sentenced to eight years of imprisonment for his crime.
(v) It was the end of the winter season. The weather was freezing
cold and almost unbearable, especially in the morning hours,
with little warmth after sunrise.
V. (i) The narrator’s house is being referred to in the extract. The
noise and bustle pervading the house is because of the narrator’s
daughter’s wedding.
(ii) There was lot of hustle and bustle in the house because of the
narrator’s daughter’s wedding. The visitors were continuously
walking in and out. A tent was being put up in the courtyard
of the house and the ringing of the chandeliers being put in the
verandah filled the air. The wedding music was beig played in
the house since dawn and there was festivity in the house and
no end to the noise.
(iii) Rahamat’s physical features had changed in the eight years he
had been in prison. He no longer had his long hair or his old
vigour. The usual bag he carried on his shoulder was also missing.
(iv) The narrator could not recognise him first because his looks had
changed from what it used to be eight years ago. He did not
have his long hair, his old vigour and the bag on his shoulder.
The narrator recognised him from his smile.
(v) Rahamat had come from jail after being released from there. The
narrator was little annoyed with the Kabuliwala and asked him
to come some other day. He did not like his visit to the house
because it was the auspicious day of his daughter’s wedding.
(vi) Rahamat was little hurt by the indifferent attitude of the narrator
and was stunned on hearing that he would not be able to meet
Mini, as she was getting married that day.
VI. (i) The impresson of the hand of Kabuliwala’s daughter on a piece
of paper, created with burnt charcoal was the ‘memorabilia of
his daughter’. Kabuliwala carried it with himself as a mark of
love and remembrance from his daughter, which provided comfort
and happiness to his lonely heart.
(ii) The ‘merchandise’ that the Kabuliwala sold on the streets of
Kolkata included dry fruits like almonds, raisins and apricots
and woollen clothes like shawls.
(iii) The Kabuliwala requested the speaker to hand over the grapes
and raisins, which he has brought for Mini, to her. The speaker
accepted the Kabuliwala’s request because he realised a father’s
longing for his daughter and that the Kabuliwala saw a reflection
of his own daughter in Mini.
(iv) The Kabuliwala was shocked when Mini finally appeared before
him because his little chirping, five-year-old Mini has grown up
into young, beautiful girl and was dressed up like a bride.
(v) On seeing Mini, it dawned on the Kabuliwala that his own little
daughter at home, away in Afghanistan, must have grown up like
Mini. She would not be the same girl, whom he had left behind,
eight years ago and would have to know her all over again.
(vi) The narrator helped the Kabuliwala by cutting down on the
wedding expenses of his daughter and giving him the money so
that he could go back to his own country and meet his daughter.
(vii) Both the narrator and the Kabuliwala are doting fathers to their
daughters. Both of them, also suffer the pangs of separation
from their daughters : the Kabuliwala got separated from his
daughter when he was imprisoned eight years ago, whereas the
narrator was about to be separated from his daughter because
of her getting married.