GRADE IX II UNIT QUESTION BANK

ENGLISH – II (LITERATURE)

PROSE : AN ANGEL IN DISGUISE

i) Which women is referred here? How did she die?

(i) The woman was mother of John, Kate and Maggie. She fell on a threshold while she
was drunk.

ii) What kind of relations did the woman have with others? Why do you think it
was so?
(ii) The woman did not have good relation with others. She was not liked by anyone in
the village due to her bad behaviour and habits. She had been despised, scoffed at,
and angrily denounced.

iii) What did the neighbours take to the old hut?

(iii) The neighbours took grave clothes for decent interment of the body and food for
the motherless starving children.

iv) What kind of living condition were the woman and her children subjected
to?
(iv) The woman and her children were subjected to pathetic living conditions. They
lived in an old tumbled down hut. It was more than a place of shelter from summer &
winter cold. The woman did not even have decent clothes of her own to be used for her
burial.

v) What was the prospective future of the children after the death of their
mother?
(v) John the oldest boy was adopted by farmer Jones. Kate, a girl between ten and
eleven years was adopted by Mrs. Ellis. Maggie who had injured herself two years a go
was crippled for life and was not adopted by anyone.

Extract-2
i) Who was glanced at with pity? Why?
(i) Maggie was glanced at with pity. She was a boon like an angel but was not adopted
by anyone as she was disabled. Nobody wanted to take her as she was crippled for
life.

ii) Give the meaning of:

a) Her wan and wasted form
a) Maggie, the youngest child of dead mother looked pale and thin.
b) Even knocked at them for entrance
b) Maggie's innocence and sadness attracted everyone to take her with them.

iii) Which incident made the child bed ridden?

(iii) Two years ago, Maggie had fallen from the window and had injured her spine
which made her bed ridden.

iv) Which shelter was suggested by one of the neighbour for the bed-ridden
child? Why?
(iv) It was suggested that Maggie should be taken to the poor-house because for her it
would be a blessed change where she will be kept clean, have healthy food, and be
doctored.
v) a) What role does the child play in the life Joe Thompson?
a) Joe Thompson - Because of Maggie Joe Thompson dared to argue with his wife
which he usually didn't do. Later on Maggie filled his life with love, happiness and joy.

b) What role does the child play in the life of Jane Thompson?
b) Jane Thompson -The child proved to be an angel in disguise. Due to her the
bitterness which Mrs. Thompson had was gone. Maggie's nature , sweetness and
gratitude brought a change of heart in Mrs. Thompson and she whole-heartedly
accepted maggie as her child.

Extract-3
i) Who are having a conversation in the above extract? What is the main topic of
their conversation?
(i) Joe Thompson and Blacksmith's wife were having conversation in in the above
extract. They were discussing that where Maggie should be sent after her mother had
passed away.

ii) Why was Maggie’s effort to raise herself painful?

(ii) Maggie's effort to raise herself was painful because she was a crippled child as she
had injured her spine two years ago by falling from the window.

iii) What thought terrified Maggie? What did she exclaim to Mr Thompson?
(iii) The thought of being left all alone terrified Maggie. She cried out to Mr. Thomson
to not to leave her alone.

iv) Why do you think the man stood with a puzzled air? What did he do when he
went into the hovel?
(iv) He was puzzled because he did not know what to do. Neither did he want to leave
Maggie alone, nor did he wish to send her to the poor house. When he went into the
hovel, he supported Maggie and told her she would not be left there alone. He
wrapped her with his hands and bore her out into the air across the field.

v) What kind of man was Joe Thompson? How can you say so?
(v) Mr. Thompson was rough and tough man. But unlike his external appearance he
was a kind hearted man. He was only one person in whole village who helped maggie
and cared for her.

Extract-4
i) Whom did Mrs Thompson see approaching? What precious burden was he
carrying? Why is the burden precious?
(i) Mrs. Thompson saw Joe Thompson approaching. He was carring Maggie, who is
regarded as a 'precious burden‟. She was refered to be 'precious' because she turned
to an angel in disguise, who filled Thompson's home and heart with love.

ii) What did Mrs Thompson ask her husband? How did Joe Thompson react to it?
(ii) Seeing the child in her husband‟s arm, Mrs. Joe Thompson sharply questioned:
“What have you there?”. Joe did not reply immediately but pleaded and cautioned his
wife with his looks, that asked her to be gentle. Joe spoke to angry wife only after
comfortably placing Maggie on a bed.
iii) Describe Joe Thompson’s behavior since the day he brought the sick child
home?
(iii) Joe formed a bond with the child as soon as he lifted her in his arms. Usually Joe
Thompson kept rigidly silent in front of his wife but that day he displayed a firmly-
set countenance and a resolute pair of eyes.
He also answered his wife with real indignation for Maggie, something which he never
did before.

iv) What reason did Joe Thompson give his wife for bringing the child home?
(iv) Joe Thompson told his wife that he had brought Maggie home because she herself
can't walk to the poorhouse. He would take her there the next day speaking to the
guardians of the poor house regarding it.

v) He would take her there the next day speaking to the guardians of the poor
house regarding it.
(v) Joe Thompson became furious when the sick child was brought in. She was
seething with anger and could not utter a word. Later, she not only gave Maggie
supper but like a mother sat throughout with her while she was relishing it. She gave
up the thought of sending Maggie to poorhouse and began to take care of her.
Maggie's nature brought a change in heart of Mrs. Thompson and she whole-heartdly
accepted Maggie as her child.

Extract-5
i) What made Mrs Thompson move towards Maggie in the little chamber?
(i) Joe asked Mrs. Thompson to be kind by giving the views of Christ on little children.
He also reminded her of Maggie's dead mother and loneliness, pain and sorrow, which
Maggie was undergoing at the movement. This brought a change in heart of Mrs.
Thompson and she went to see Maggie.

ii) Why did Joe consider light shining through the windows a good omen?
(ii) Joe considered the light shining through the window a good omen because it was a
sign of hope that revealed the change in Mrs. Thompson's attitude towards the girl. he
light symbolized to him the sunshine of love that would now fall upon their home.

iii) What did Joe see when he came back home from his shop?
(iii) He saw a light shining in Maggie's room. He saw Maggie's face through window
and also observed that his wife was talking to Maggie.

iv) What did Joe gather from Maggie’s facial expression? To what extent, did it
relieve him?
(iv) From Maggie's facial expression Mr. Thompson could make out that she was not in
pain. Joe saw that her expression was sad and tendered but there was no bitterness
or pain.

v) How did Joe behave on coming back home from his shop? What did he ask his
wife?
(v) Mr. Thompson did not show any concern for Maggie and was ignorant; as if he does
not know of the love fostering between Maggie and his wife. He also didn't refered to
the child. Joe asked her wife how soon the supper would be ready.
Long question:

Discuss the conflict in the story, An Angel In Disguise.

Answer:
Two of the major internal conflicts in the story are Joe and Mrs. Thompson‟s feelings
about Maggie. Joe couldn‟t find it in himself to let Maggie go to the poor house all
alone and sick so Joe decided to take her home. He tells his wife, “Look at her kindly,
Jane; speak to her kindly,” said Joe. “Think of her dead mother, and the loneliness,
the pain, the sorrow that must be on all her coming life.” However, Mrs. Thompson
had the opposite problem and couldn‟t find it in herself to let Maggie stay with them.
When she sees Maggie with Joe she loses control and gives vent, “You haven‟t brought
home that sick brat!” Anger and astonishment were in the tones of Mrs. Joe
Thompson; her face was in a flame. But eventually Mrs. Thompson changed her mind
because of Maggie‟s kindness towards them. „Joe did not follow; he saw that, her state
had changed, and felt that it would be best to leave her alone with the child.‟
The other conflict that was external were between Mr. and Mrs. Thompson and
Maggie. Maggie was ill and bedridden and that caused nobody to want to adopt her.
Joe decided that he couldn‟t leave her there and took her to live with him and his wife.
When Maggie begged him not to leave her alone he with all the compassion inside him
answered, “No, dear,” he answered, in a kind voice, going to the bed, and stooping
down over the child, “You sha‟n‟t be left here alone.”
Another conflict was that Mr. and Mrs. disagreed on the idea of adopting Maggie.
“What are you going to do with that child?”
“I thought you understood me that she was to go to the poorhouse,” replied Joe, as if
surprised at her question.
This was resolved when later in the story Maggie has a positive impact on their lives
and they finally decided she would stay. The author tells us, „Joe did not see the
Guardians of the Poor on that day, on the next, nor on the day following. In fact, he
never saw them at all on Maggie‟s account, for in less than a week Mrs. Joe Thompson
would as soon leave thought of taking up her own abode in the almshouse as sending
Maggie there.

POEM : DAFFODILS

1. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: -
I wandered lonely as a cloud,
That floats on high o'er vales and hills
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the bridge.

(a) What was the poet doing? In what sense was he like a floating cloud?
Ans: - The poet was wandering aimlessly without any purpose like a cloud that floats
freely in the sky. The poet was like a floating cloud in the sense that as a cloud floats
over hills and valleys aimlessly without any purpose; the poet was also wandering
pointlessly beside a lake.

(b) What pleasant sight attracted his attention?

Ans: - While wandering aimlessly, the attention of the poet fell upon a wonderful sight
of daffodils, who were in large number, growing under the trees and spreading along
the bank of a lake.

(c) Why does the poet compare himself to an object of nature and an object of nature
to a human being?
Ans: - The poet does so to convey us the idea that there exists an inherent
combination, relation and unity between man and nature.

(d) The poet later uses a simile to describe the beauty of the daffodils. What is that?
Ans: - The simile that the poet uses to compare the beauty of the daffodils is that of
the twinkling stars in the Milky Way in our Galaxy. He does so to underline the large
number Daffodils, comparable to the numerous twinkling stars in the Galaxy.

(e) Whom did the daffodils seem to surpass in vigour and liveliness?
Ans: - The daffodils swayed to and fro in the gentle breeze. The waves in the lake
swayed too in that very breeze and sparkled due to the sun's rays falling on them. But
the beauty of those thousands of those yellow flowers was so enchanting that they
surpassed the beauty of the sparkling waves. That is why the poet said that the
flowers “out-did” the water with their happiness.

(f) Discuss the importance of the following lines with reference to the poem: -
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Ans: - These lines express the pleasant encounter of the poet with the daffodils by a
lake. Once the poet was wandering pointlessly beside a lake, he was all alone to
wander freely akin to a patch of clouds floating in the sky, over the valleys and the
hill. Suddenly he could view the large number of daffodils gathered by the side of the
lake. They were sheltered under a growing tree. The airy breeze made them wave and
dance, rejoice and play.

(g) Why do you think the poet refers to the daffodils as golden?
Ans: - The Daffodils resembles the colour of gold according to the poet. Actually the
daffodils were yellow in colour and the sun's ray falling on them made them shine like
gold. That is why the poet refers to daffodils as golden.

(h) Which figure of speech is used in the following lines? How many daffodils do you
think the poet saw? Give a reason for your answer.
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils.
Ans: - The poet here uses 'simile' to compare the numerous daffodils with that of the
numerous stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. The poet says, “Ten thousand saw at a
glance” The poet however could not estimate their number as they spread along
extensive sides of the lake. That is why poet says “They stretch'd in never-ending line.”

2. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: -
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never- ending line
Along the margin of bay:
Ten thousands saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
(a) Why does the poet compare the daffodils to the stars?
Ans: - The daffodils resemble akin to innumerable shining stars that one could see in
the night sky in the form of Milky Way. That is why the poet compares the daffodils to
the stars.

(b) “They stretch'd in never ending line”. Explain.

Ans: - The poet here emphasizes on the numerosity of the daffodils. He wants to say
that they were profuse in number stretching all over the side of a lake beside which
the poet was wandering pointlessly.

(c) 'Ten thousands saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.'
Explain the above lines. What literary device has been used here?
Ans: - The daffodils growing beside the lake were large in numbers stretching all along
the side of the lake like the countless stars in the sky in a never ending line. The poet
seemed to have been in an illusion that he was watching ten thousand daffodils
swaying their heads in a “sprightly dance”.
The daffodils have been personified as human beings, fluttering and “tossing their
heads” in a “sprightly dance.” So the literary device used here is personification. This
personification affirms the instinctive harmony between man and nature.

(d) What is the milky way? Why is it referred to in the extract?

Ans: -The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System. The descriptive
“milky” is derived from the appearance from Earth of the galaxy- a band of light seen
in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the
naked eye. It is referred to in the extract because to draw a comparison with the
daffodils that resemble akin to the innumerable shining stars that one could see in
the night sky in the form of Milky Way.

(e) When does the sight of the daffodils come to the poet's mind later in trhe
poem? What does he get recollecting that sight of daffodils?
Ans: - The sight of the daffodils come to the poet's mind again when the poet is, either
in a lonely or a pensive mood.Then the entire panorama that he saw in the lake,
flashes across his mind's eye. In solitude, when his mind is unrestrained by
disturbing elements of the real world, he revives the memories of the daffodils. When
the memory of that sight comes into view of the poet, he is able to derive ecstatic
pleasure which he had enjoyed actually.

DRAMA : THE MERCHANT OF VENICE [ACT III SCENE I]

Passage – 1 (Act III, Sc.I, 32-42)

Question 1.
Where are Salarino and Shylock? Is there anyone else there?
Answer:
The scene is set in Venice. Salanio, Salarino and Shylock are engaged in conversation.

Question 2.
Who used this phrase „flesh and blood‟? Was it misunderstood by anyone?
Answer:
Shylock used this phrase to describe his daughter, Jessica. He was sorry to say that
his own flesh and blood rebelled. He was thus referring to Jessica‟s elopement. It is
unbearable for Shylock that his own daughter should run away with a Christian and
show her disregard for her father.This remark was misunderstood or deliberately
misinterpreted. Shylock uses the phrase flesh and blood in the usual sense, that
Jessica is his natural daughter. He refers to the biological relationship between father
and child. But Salanio/Salarino make fun of him, asking him if his physical desires
are roused even in hid old age.
Question 3.
Explain the comparisons made by Salarino between
(a) Jet and ivory,
(b) Red wine and rhenish
Answer:
Salarino is quick to point out that there is hardly any similarity between Shylock and
his daughter Jessica.
(a) If Jessica is ivory which is white and beautiful, Shylock is jet black and
unattractive.
(b) Jessica is rehnish (white wine) while Shylock is red wine. There can be no
confusion between the two.

Question 4.
In what sense is Antonio a prodigal? Is he a bankrupt? Explain Shylock‟s views. Give
your comments.
Answer:
When Salarino talks about Antonio‟s losses, Shylock speaks impatiently. He had given
a loan of three thousand ducats against this man‟s security. Shylock calls Antonio a
bankrupt who has no money to spend. All he had has been lost.
The Shylock charges Antonio for being a prodigal. He has wasted his money
thoughtlessly. According to Shylock, Antonio has ruined himself by taking a loan for
his extravagant friend. This is a culpable prodigality. We may not, however, agree with
Shylock in blaming a self- sacrificing gentleman like Antonio.

Question 5.
Why is Antonio not seen at the Rialto?
Answer:
Now that Antonio is a bankrupt, with many debts and loans yet to be cleared, he does
not come to Rialto, the stock exchange. This remark of Shylock shows that of late
Antonio had stopped visiting Rialto where merchants generally gather to do business.

Question 6.
Shylock gives the warning, “let him look to his bond”. What are his reasons?
Answer:
Shylock gives the warning to be conveyed to Antonio to take care of his bond. He must
repay the money within the prescribed limit of time. Shylock complains that Antonio
used to call him a despicable money-lender charging high interest. He also used to
lend money to people without interest to show his Christian generosity.

Passage – 2 (Act III, Sc.I, Lines 101-112)

Question 1.
Who showed Tubal a ring? What did he tell him about this ring? How does it concern
Shylock?
Answer:
Some of the creditors of Antonio who came with Tubal to Venice, told him something
about Shylock‟s daughter. One of them showed him a ring that he got from Jessica in
exchange for a monkey. This ring had been stolen by Jessica from her father‟s house.

Question 2.
Why is Shylock touched to the quick? Why was this painful and angry reaction on
hearing the news about the ring?
Answer:
It is a piece of painful news for Shylock that his daughter not only stole away the ring
from his house, but gave it up in exchange for a monkey.
Shylock reacts sharply to the news because the ring had a turquoise studded in it. It
was particularly dear to Shylock because it had been given do him by his wife when
he was still courting her. He is touched to the quick to hear that his daughter has
given up so heartlessly her father‟s bridal present from his late, much lamented wife.

Question 3.
Why does Tubal say that Antonio is undone? What makes Tubal say with certainty
that Antonio is undone?
Answer:
Tubal tells Shylock that Antonio has been ruined. He says so on the authority of
Antonio‟s creditors who travelled with him to Venice. They are supposed to posses
authentic information about the financial status of the merchant whom they had
given loans.

Question 4.
What was Shylock reaction on hearing of Antonio‟s misfortunes? Why is he anxious to
get Antonio out of Venice?
Answer:
Shylock is happy to hear that Antonio has been ruined. It is a source of great
consolation to this man who considers Antonio his enemy. Shylock is anxious to get
Antonio out of Venice. In his absence he can do good business in lending money to
people charging high rates of interest. So long Antonio is in the city, he will advance
loans that are interest-free. This harms Shylock‟s money-lending business.

Question 5.
Why, Shylock plans to go to a Synagogue? Give your opinion.
Answer:
Shylock is going to his Synagogue. He asks Tubal to meet him there. His purpose,
perhaps, is to present his case before other Jews and win their sympathy and support
for his cause.

Question 6.
Explain, “fee me an office ; be speak him a fortnight before.”
Answer:
Shylock instructs Tubal to engage an officer even a fortnight before the expiry of the
bond. He should be ready to get Antonio arrested on the forfeiture of the bond.
Shylock is certain that Antonio will not be able to repay three thousand ducats loaned
to Bassanio against Antonio‟s security.