Q1 :
Where did the lady find the bear cub? How did she bring it up?
Answer :
The lady found the bear cub in the forest. It was half dead of hunger, and very
small and helpless. It had to be brought up on the bottle by the lady and the
old cook.
Q2 :
Most people keep dogs and cats as pets. Can you think of some unusual pets
that people keep?
Answer :
This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your
analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to
another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it
on your own.
Q3 :
The bear grew up but "he was a most amiable bear". Give three examples to
prove this.
Answer :
He was a most amiable bear as he did not harm anybody. He sat outside his kennel
and looked with his small intelligent eyes most amicably at the cattle grazing
in the field near by. The children rode on his back and had more than once been
found asleep in his kennel, between his two paws. The three dogs loved to play
various kinds of games with him. They pulled his ears and his stump of
a tail, teasing him in every way. However, he did not mind it in the least.
Q4 :
The second bear did not attack the lady because he was afraid of her. Do you
agree?
Answer :
The second bear did not attack the lady because he too was a friendly bear. He
was charging towards her and it seemed as if he wanted to sit near her heels.
Thinking that he was her pet bear, the lady scolded him and even hit him with
her parasol. The bear did not respond angrily, and slowly turned around and went
away, perhaps sad at being shouted at.
Q5 :
What did the bear eat? There were two things he was not allowed to do. What
were they?
Answer :
The bear ate bread, porridge, potato, cabbage, and turnip. He was not allowed to
pluck apples off the trees. He learnt later that it was against the law. He was
also not allowed to touch the beehives. He was punished for doing so by being
put on the chain.
Q6 :
When was the bear tied up with a chain? Why?
Answer :
The bear was tied up with a chain at night. He was also tied up on Sundays as
his mistress used to spend the afternoon with her married sister. She did so
because she did not think it was good for him to wander about in the forest with
all its temptations.
Q7 :
What happened one Sunday when the lady was going to her sister's house? What
did the lady do? What was the bear's reaction?
Answer :
One Sunday when the lady was going to her sister's house, she saw a bear coming
along at full speed. Thinking that he was her pet, the lady got very angry.
Being already late for lunch, she scolded him and told him to go back. She saw
that he had even lost his new collar. This made her angrier, and she hit him on
his nose with her parasol. The parasol broke in two. The bear opened his mouth
several times as if he wanted to say something, and then it turned around and
went on its way.
Q8 :
Why was the bear looking sorry for himself in the evening? Why did the cook
get angry with her mistress?
Answer :
The bear was looking sorry for himself in the evening because he had been
chained all day and he could not do his usual activities. When his mistress
Q1 :
Why did Abbu Khan's goats want to run away? What happened to them in the
hills?
Answer :
Abbu Khan's goats would run away because they hated being tied with strings and
they loved their freedom. In the hills, they would be attacked and killed by an
old wolf.
Q2 :
Abbu Khan said, "No more goats in my house ever again. "Then he changed his
mind. Why?
Answer :
He changed his mind because he was terribly lonely and could not do without his
pets.
Q3 :
Why did he buy a young goat?
Answer :
He bought a young goat as he thought it would stay with him much longer. It
would begin to love him as well as the food he would give her everyday, and
would never want to go to the hills.
Q4 :
Why did Chandni hate the rope round her neck?
Answer :
Chandni hated the rope around her neck as it would not let her go any further.
She wanted to run across the green fields towards the hills. However, the rope
around her neck stopped her from doing so. It restricted her freedom.
Q5 :
"Now Abbu Khan understood Chandni's problem..." What was Chandni's
problem?
Answer :
Chandni wanted her freedom. She wished to go to the hills. She felt that if she
stayed on in Abbu Khan's compound, she would die.
Q6 :
Abbu Khan pushed Chandni into a small hut. This shows that he
(i)was cruel.
(ii) loved her and wanted to save her life.
(iii) was selfish
Answer :
This shows that he loved her and wanted to save her life.
Q7 :
Why did Chandni refuse to join the group of wild goats?
Answer :
Chandni refused to join the group of wild goats because she wanted to enjoy her
new freedom all by herself.
Q8 :
Chandni fought the wolf because she
(i) was stronger than the wolf.
(ii) hated the wolf.
(iii) had to retain her freedom at all costs.
Answer :
Chandni fought the wolf because she had to retain her freedom at all costs.
Q1 :
Why did the wise old bird say, "Chandni is the winner"?
Answer :
The wise old bird said that Chandni was the winner because Chandni had the
courage to face the wolf, and had fought on till the end. She could have run
away at the slightest hint of the presence of the wolf. However, she decided to
stay there and stood firm on her legs. According to the author, she looked like
a brave soldier ready to fight a treacherous enemy. She put up a good fight,
which went on all through the night. Even though she died at the end, she was
truly the winner.
Q2 :
"Death in an open field is better than life in a small hut," Chandni said to
herself. Was it the right decision? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer :
It was the right decision. Freedom involves taking a lot of risks. It requires
one to be brave and to be ready to face any difficulty, any circumstance. On
detecting the wolf, Chandni could have gone back to Abbu Khan. However, for her,
freedom was more valuable than life. She decided to fight the wolf to retain her
freedom, telling herself that success or failure was a matter of chance, and
that one must put up a good fight. She fought with all her strength, and even
though she did not win the fight, she was the true winner. If she had remained
with Abbu Khan, she would have always been tied up. There, she might have lived
longer, but would have ultimately died in bondage.
Q3 :
Freedom is life. Discuss this with reference to 'Chandni' and 'I Want
Something in a Cage'.
Answer :
Freedom is life. Living in bondage is as good as being dead. Everyone craves for
his/her freedom—humans, birds and animals. The value of freedom is the theme
of the stories 'I Want Something in a Cage' and 'Chandni'. In the former, the
man, who had been a prisoner for ten years, freed the doves because he could
identify with the birds in the cage and their desire to fly. In the latter, the
goats left Abbu Khan one by one because their desire to roam freely in the hills
was stronger than their fear of the wolf that lived in those hills. Chandni's
decision to fight the wolf instead of going back to the safety of Abbu Khan's
compound showed that she considered freedom to be invaluable. For her death in
an open field was far better than life in a small hut. This story shows that
freedom requires one to be brave, and to be ready to face any difficulty, any
circumstance. Even if the free life is short lived, it is better than a long
life in captivity.
returned, she scolded him, thinking that it was him she saw in the forest. She
said that as punishment, he would have to remain chained for two more days. The
cook loved the bear as her child and could not bear to see the bear being
scolded like that. This was why she got angry. She told the mistress that the
bear had been very good the whole day, and had been sitting outside his kennel,
looking at the gate and waiting for her to come back.