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On The Face of It Susan Hill: Short Answer Questions
On The Face of It Susan Hill: Short Answer Questions
Susan Hill
Short Answer Questions
Question 1.
What qualities of Mr. Lamb attracted Derry to him?
Answer: Derry’s meeting with Mr. Lamb was a turning point in his life. He was
inspired by Mr. Lamb’s positive attitude to life. He asked interesting questions that
made Derry think and advised him to shake off his feelings of self-pity. His words of
encouragement helped Derry to see things in a new perspective.
Question 2.
How did Derry turn out to be an anti-social being?
Answer: Derry’s half-burnt face caused him a lot of agony. He could not bear the fear
or shock in their eyes when they noticed his face or the scathing comments that
sometimes reached his ears. There were others who were too sympathetic and he
did not like sympathy. These people constantly reminded him that he was different
from them so he preferred to keep to himself.
Question 3.
Mr. Lamb told Derry the story of a man who hid himself in his room. Why did the man
do so and with what result?
Answer:Mr. Lamb told Derry the incident of a timid man who hid himself in his room
and refused to come out lest he should meet some fatal accident. But, ironically, he
died in his room itself because a picture hanging on the wall fell off it, landed on his
head and killed him.
Question 4.
How does Mr. Lamb keep himself busy?
Answer: Although Mr. Lamb lived alone, he led a fulfilling life. When the weather was
good, he spent his time in his garden talking to passers by and tending to his plants
and honey bees. He made jelly from his crab apples and toffee from honey for the
kids in the neighbourhood. He also loved reading and had a good collection of
books.
Question 5
Why did Derry insist that he would go back to Mr. Lamb?
Answer:
Derry insisted that he would go back to Mr. Lamb as he opened a new world of
opportunities for Derry. Derry was comfortable and happy in Mr. Lamb’s company
and completely forgot his handicap. He felt he too could live an independent life as
he had all his faculties intact.
Question 6
How did Mr. Lamb’s meeting with Derry become a turning point in Derry’s life?
Answer:
Derry was a victim of inferiority complex which was borne out of a misinterpretation
of himself and the world. He suffered from an acute sense of loneliness and rejection
due to his burnt face. Mr. Lamb too had a disability, a tin leg, but he never allowed
his handicap to interfere with his life. Mr. Lamb’s meeting with Derry brought about a
turning point in the latter’s life. He gave Derry confidence and persuaded him to
develop a positive attitude towards life. Derry’s brief association with Mr. Lamb
proves to be quite rewarding as he taught him a new perspective of looking at life,
people and things. Derry decided never to get back to his old seclusion and to turn
his focus from his face to the world around him. It is hoped that he will gradually
learn to find his place in the mainstream of life.