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Question 1.
What does Chubukov at first
suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says ‘And I’ve
always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your
answer from the play.
Answer:
At first Chubukov suspected that Lomov had come to borrow money as he was in
his evening dress. He was not sincere when he told Lomov that he had always
loved him and that he was like his own son, because he had decided to not give
any money to Lomov. It was only when Lomov asked for his daughter’s hand in
marriage that his attitude changed and he rushed out to call his daughter,
Natalya.
Question 2.
Chubukov says of Natalya:
“……. as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick
cat……” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Yes, Natalya is in love. This
is clear by the way she behaves when she gets to know that Lomov came to
propose to her. She starts weeping and asks her father to bring Lomov at once.
Question 3.
1. Find all the words and
expressions in the play that the characters use to speak about each other, and
the accusations and insults they hurl at each other. (For example, Lomov in
the end calls Chubukov an intriguer; but earlier,Chubukov has himself called
Lomov a “malicious, doublefaced intriguer.” Again, Lomov begins by describing
Natalya as “an excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking, well-educated.”)
2. Then think of five adjectives or adjectival expressions of your own to
describe each character in the play.
3.
Can you now imagine what these characters will quarrel about next?
Answer:
The words and expressions that
have been used to describe each other by various characters of the play are
Chubukov: intriguer, grabber, old rat Natalya: a lovesick cat, an excellent
housekeeper, not bad-looking’ well-educated. Lomov: a good neighbour,
impudent, pettifogger, malicious, double faced intriguer, rascal, blind hen,
turnip ghost, a villian, scare crow, stuffed sausage, etc.
Thinking About the Language
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157)
Question I.
1. This play has been
translated in English from the Russian original. Are there any expressions or
ways of speaking that strike you as more – Russian than English?
For example would an adult man be addressed by an older man as my darling or
my treasure in an English play?
Answer:
Expressions not used in
contemporary English are- my angel, my beloved, my beauty (Here these
expressions, are used for an adult man) and ‘all that sort of thing’ (not
explaining what it is just leaving it as it is) and ‘how may you be getting
on’? reported speech
2. You must have noticed that when we report someone’s exact words, we have to
make some changes in the sentence structure. In the following sentences fill
in the blanks to list the changes that have occurred in the above pairs of
sentences. One has been done for you.
Questions.
- To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked (as in sentence set 1).
- To report a declaration, we use the reporting verb
- The adverb of place here changes to _____
- When the verb in the direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is in the tense (as in sentence set 3).
- If the Verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to ____ tense. For example, ____ changes to was getting.
- When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb ____ in the reporting clause (as in sentence set 1)
- The pronouns I, me, our and mine, which are used in the first person in direct speech, change to third person pronouns to such as _____ or ____ in reported speech.
Answer:
2. declared
3. there
4. past
5. past continuous, is getting
6.
respectfully
7. he, him, their or his