Teachers Handbook Short Stories

A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories Volume II — Short Stories

Teachers’ Handbook ICSE

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A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories Volume II — Short Stories

1.

India’s Heroes

5 — 8

Anonymous 2.

Journey by Night

8 — 12

Norah Burke 3.

Hunger

12 — 16

Nasira Sharma 4.

My Lost Dollar

16 — 19

Stephen Leacock 5.

God Lives in the Panch

19 — 24

Munshi Premchand 6.

The Last Leaf

24 — 27

O’ Henry 7.

The Kabuliwala

27 — 30

Rabindranath Tagore 8.

The Bet

31 — 36

Anton Chekhov 9.

The Tiger in the Tunnel

36 — 40

Ruskin Bond 10.

Princess September

W. Somerset Maugham

41 — 44

INDIA’S HEROES

5

ASSIGNMENTS I. (i) Mrs. Baruah is a teacher, teaching the students of Class Eight. Her full name is Mrs. Reeta Baruah. She exclaims ‘wonderful’ when, in response to her question about the number of students who have completed their assignment, all the forty students raise their hand in affirmation. (ii) Mrs. Baruah gave an assignment to the students of Class Eight to write what they would like to be when they grew up. There were forty students in the class. All the forty student raised their hands in affirmation when Mrs. Baruah asked them if they had completed their assignment. (iii) According to the author, the students fidgeted and shifted in their seats before Mrs. Baruah entered. This shows their eagerness to speak in front of their classmates. Their eagerness indicated that they had completed their assignment and were interested in sharing it with their classmates. (iv) Ajit Basu was the first speaker. He spoke about his desire of becoming the best cricketer in the world. Sachin Tendulkar was his idol. (v) The next two speakers were Gayatri Chhabra and Sanjay Damle. Gayatri wanted to become a social worker, whereas Sanjay Damle wanted to become a pilot. (vi) Mrs. Baruah was an accomplished teacher, who had a student-centred approach of teaching. (a) She gave the students an assignment with which they could relate themselves, i.e., to write what they would like to be when they grew up. Consequently, all the students brought their completed assignments. (b) She was a strict disciplinarian. That is why the students maintained strict discipline in her class and spoke only when their turn came. II. (i) ‘He’ refers to Kabeer. Kabeer seems to be a hard working and intelligent student. Though he was shy at making speeches before the entire class, he put in extra efforts to complete his assignment. He not only wrote something different from his classmates but also presented it with such confidence that he drew everybody’s attention and evoked the emotions of both his classmates and his teacher.

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(ii) No, he was not confident when he stood up to speak before the entire class. This is evident from the fact that his hands shook slightly and beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead, both being signs of nervousness. (iii) The other children spoke about becoming social workers, pilots, movie stars, sportsmen and politicians. The speaker, unlike his classmates who spoke about the famous and successful personalities, spoke about the unsung heroes of India who laid down their lives to save the lives of their fellow countrymen, during the 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai. (iv) Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan joined NSG in January 2007. Before joining the NSG, he served two tenures with his battalion in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations. (v) When the speaker spoke about the life of Major Unnikrishnan, there was complete silence in the class and everybody listened attentively. This was because the students were listening about the extraordinary sacrifice of a braveheart, who laid down his life, fighting the terrorists. It was different from the accounts of people about whom they had listened from their other classmates. III. (i) Vishnu Zende was an announcer with the Mumbai railways for ten years. When he heard a loud explosion at one end of the railway platform and saw bloodstains on the clothes of some people, he guessed that something was wrong. (ii) Vishnu Zende’s act of staying in his position, in the face of danger speaks volumes of his courage, his selfless devotion to his duty and his presence of mind in the face of calamity. Vishnu Zende’s announcements from the public address system at the railway plaform helped hundred of passengers to move out of the platform from a different exit and thus saved their lives. (iii) The scene outside the classroom was noisy with the chirping of the birds, honking of cars and the younger childen enjoying their recess. No, the students were not affected by it. They remained unconcerned with what was happening outside and focussed their attention on Kabeer’s speech. (iv) The next hero Kabeer spoke about was Karambir Singh Kang, the General Manager of the Taj Hotel, Mumbai. He helped in evacuating the guests and his staff from the hotel. He continued his duty even on being informed that his own wife and children had died of suffocation in the same hotel.

INDIA’S HEROES

7

(v) This hero lost his wife and his children, as they died of suffocation on being trapped in a room in the Taj Hotel, which was attacked by the terrorists. Despite suffering an irreparable loss of losing his entire family, Karambir Kang did not give up his duty and continued to evacuate the guests safely from the hotel. (vi) Kabeer mentioned Karambir Kang’s loyalty and devotion to his duty. He attributed these qualities to him because even after suffering an irreparable loss of losing his entire family, he did not quit his job and remained at the Taj hotel and helped to restore the heritage structure of the hotel. IV. (i) Hemant Karkare was the Chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad. He pursued the terrorists in a jeep, without caring for his own life. (ii) Hemant Karkare’s companions included DIG Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar. The three lost their lives, when they were gunned down by terrorists, whom they were pursuing in a jeep. (iii) Hemant Karkare and his two comrades DIG Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar, were true patriots, who considered their duty before self and sacrificed their lives while fighting the terrorists. (iv) The speaker had goose bumps on his arms whereas the students in his class became emotional. Their teacher, Mrs. Baruah became so emotional that tears welled up in her eyes. (v) Kabeer next spoke about Mohammed Taufeeq Sheikh, popularly known as Chottu Chaiwala, who ran a tea stall outside CST station, Mumbai. He helped to transport the victims of the terrorist attack to the nearby St. George Hospital and thus, saved their lives. V. (i) Sandra Samuel was an Indian nanny to two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg, who neither belonged to her nationality nor her religion. She saved Moshe’s life during the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in which Moshe’s parents were killed. (ii) The action of the caretakers of the Kabristans in refusing to allow the dead terrorists to be buried there tells us that they were above all social barriers. They proved by their action that man’s supreme duty is to love and respect other human beings and that no religion is above humanity. (iii) According to Kabeer, the only true religion in the world is love and respect for all human beings. From his speech, Kabeer comes out to be a person, who not only values courage, fearlessness, selflessness and caring for other but also practises it.

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(iv) The whole class was touched by Kabeer’s speech. It stirred up their emotions and tears welled up in their eyes. Mrs. Baruah was on the verge of crying but she hid her tears from her students by dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief to wipe her tears. (v) Mrs. Baruah felt proud to see her students cherish the virtues of peace, tolerance, sense of duty and selflessness. She was of the opinion that her students would act as pillars to uphold the virtues of peace, tolerance and selflessness in an India that would one day be terror free and lead the world.

ASSIGNMENTS I. (i) ‘He’ refers to Sher Singh. He ran to get water, sticks and dung for the fire to get hot water for his sick, younger brother. (ii) The ‘child’ referred to in the extract is Sher Singh’s younger brother, Kunwar. He was suffering from acute stomach ache. (iii) Sher Singh’s mother was worried to see her child’s illness but she did not react at all. This was because she had gone through such ordeals many times when her other children had gradually moved towards death. (iv) Kalaghat was a town in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. It was fifty miles away from Sher Singh’s village, Laldwani. The villagers used to go Kalaghat by crossing two rivers and then taking a lift in a bullock cart or a broken-down truck. (v) Sher Singh was shocked to know that his brother had to be hospitalised. This was because of the belief prevalent among the jungle people that hospital was the place for those who were destined to die. (vi) The boy suggested that he would call his father to take his younger brother to the hospital at Kalaghat. The mother said that it would be too late before his father would reach home. It tells us that she was wise enough to judge the severity of her child’s deteriorating condition and that by the time her husband would return, the child’s condition would deteriorate further and may even prove fatal. II. (i) Bahadur the Brave was the title given to Sher Singh Bahadur. He was given this title because of his deeds of courage, which

JOURNEY BY NIGHT

9

helped save the lives of many, whenever he accompanied an expedition in the forest in search of big game, either to photograph or shoot them. (ii) Bahadur lived in Laldwani village. He was a farmer by occupation. Besides farming, he was famous as a hunter. (iii) The members of the expeditions wanted Bahadur to join them because (a) he had a thorough knowledge of the forest around his village. (b) he was familiar with the sounds of animals and birds, which proved as an asset during a hunting or photographic expedition. (iv) Bahadur got scars on his body, when he was attacked by a tiger while saving one of his comrades from the tiger. The tiger’s claws tore open his flesh down his skull to the back of his shoulder and left the scars there. (v) Bahadur was away in jungle on a photographic expedition. His actions tells us that he was a brave and adventure-loving man, who was ever ready to be a part of any expedition in the jungle. (vi) Bahadur was negligent of his duties towards his family. Most of the times he used to be away in the jungle on hunting or  shooting trips seeking adventure, overlooking the needs of his wife and children. It was because of Bahadur’s negligent attitude that his family suffered. Perhaps, it was Bahadur’s absence from his family for days together that his other children could not be saved from death, caused by cholera, influenza and jungle accidents. III. (i) Kunwar Singh was Sher Singh’s younger brother. He had to be taken to the hospital because of acute pain in his stomach and fever. Sher Singh’s brother was in a serious condition. He was writhing in such a pain that Sher Singh could see death in his eyes. (ii) Sher Singh’s father was away in jungle, accompanying a photographic expedition. There were no men in the village because all of them had accompanied Sher Singh Bahadur as beaters on the photographic expedition in the jungle. (iii) Sher Singh’s mother being a hill woman knew about carrying loads. She took one of her two saris to make a sling that could be put around Sher Singh’s forehead and down his back, to carry his sick, younger brother to the hospital.

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(iv) The mother felt that Sher Singh’s brother was too big to be carried by Sher Singh all through the fifty miles to the hospital at Kalaghat. She said that he would not be able to get to the hospital. The boy did not respond in any way and set off silently from there. (v) Sher Singh’s family was not financially sound. According to the extract, Sher Singh’s mother had to look after the cattle and work their land when his father used to be away in the jungle because otherwise they would be starved. The other examples from the story are: (a) Sher Singh had to gather sticks from the forest for firewood. (b) Sher Singh’s mother had only two saris and used one of them for making the sling. (c) They did not have the basic necessities of life like water, which had to fetched from far away. (vi) Sher Singh’s decision to take his brother alone to the hospital tells us that he was not only a responsible boy but also selfless and had a deep love for his brother. IV. (i) It was a cobra. The creature was sunning itself on the jungle path in the last of the daylight. When Sher Singh stepped close to it, it contracted and rose with a hiss, spreading its hood. (ii) On seeing the creature, Sher Singh was petrified and stood frozen. He backed away from the cobra. (iii) Sher Singh was heading towards the hospital at Kalaghat. He had planned to pass through the jungle, cross two rivers and complete the rest of his journey by taking a lift in a bullock cart or a truck. (iv) The jungle presented many challenges to the boy in the form of impenetrable thorny bushes and scrubs and a number of wild animals, ready to devour him. The beasts of prey posed more danger to the humans now than before because poaching had reduced the deer population considerably and forced the beasts of prey to kill domestic animals and even human beings for food. (v) The boy quickened his steps on the journey on seeing bear tracks in the dust and thus, avoiding a possible encounter with the bear. (vi) Sher Singh decided to take rest on a cliff above the river bed because he was extremely tired and knew that he would not be able to go any further without taking rest. V. (i) Sher Singh and Kunwar were on the cliff, when they heard the jostle and squeal of elephants. Sher Singh was tired and his

JOURNEY BY NIGHT

11

back and forehead were hurting, so he gently put down Kunwar to take rest, when they heard squeal of the elephants. (ii) An old elephant was the leader of elephants. He was more aggressive at that time because of the period of heightened aggressiveness that happens annually in male elephants. (iii) Sher Singh chilled with fright because the old elephant, moving his tusk to and fro came round towards him. He could not escape in the situation because he could neither climb nor run, carrying his brother on his back. (iv) Sher Singh earnestly prayed to God to avert the danger. It tells us that Sher Singh was a brave boy who had firm belief in God. It seems that God heard Sher Singh’s prayers and consequently, the elephant hurriedly went away. (v) Immediately after being saved from the elephants, Sher Singh got up and decided to continue his journey. This was because he heard an elephant trumpet at a distance and could not take the risk of being attacked by elephants again. VI. (i) Sher Singh had anticipated the river would be shallow and the water would not be very cold as the snow-water would not have entered the river by that time. However, when Sher Singh entered the river, he found the water colder than he had anticipated. Besides, it was almost waist-deep, deeper than what he had thought. Further, there was the danger of his falling into the river because of slime on the stone. (ii) The bridge at the second river was a kutcha, impermanent one. It was made of rings of bamboo poles driven into the river bed and tied round and were filled with stones to make the piers of the bridge. The surface of the bridge was also made of bamboos laid down horizontally and across and laced thick grass and river gravel. (iii) When Sher Singh reached the second river, his hopes were shattered to see the river in flood, as he had not expected floods at that time of the year. The river was in flood because of the melting of a big head of snow. The bridge over the river had submerged because of the sudden floods in the  river. (iv) The breaking of the bridge made matters worse for the boy because now the boy had to swim across the flooded river, with his younger brother on his back. (v) The boy crossed the second river by moving along the wreck of the broken bridge and holding on to anything he could hold

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TEACHERS’ HANDBOOK (ICSE SHORT STORIES) along the way. He made sure that his brother was not harmed by making a rope of grass and tying it round his brother and himself and by keeping his brother’s head above water.

(vi) As Sher Singh and his brother entered the second river, the river seized them and flattened them against the wreck of the broken bridge. With great difficulty, Sher Singh managed to move holding on to the things he could get hold of. But the flood water defeaned him and the timber banged and bruised him. The water was too cold for him to keep his hold. So he was deaf, blinded, frozen and drowned. But he continued moving ahead and finally crossed the second river. VII. (i) After crossing the river, Sher Singh took a lift, first in a bullock cart and then in a truck to reach the hospital. (ii) People were surprised to hear his story when they came to know that he has brought his sick brother to the hospital all alone by crossing the flooded river. (iii) At the rail yards, Sher Singh got the work of loading coal. He earned a few pence. With the money, he bought coarse atta (flour), some mustard oil and chillies to cook a meal for himself. (iv) Sher Singh put up in the hospital compound, where the relatives of other patients in the hospital were camping. Sher Singh was overtaken by the feelings of anxiety about the condition of his ailing, younger brother and expected the worst. (v) The doctor addressed Sher Singh as Sher Singh Bahadur. He did so to applaud his deed of bravery of carrying his ailing brother, all along to the hospital. Sher Singh replied that his father Sher Singh Bahadur was not present there and that his name was Sher Singh. (vi) The doctor informed Sher Singh that his brother was out of danger and that he would live.

ASSIGNMENTS I. (i) Rizwan was an educated young man, who was in search of a job. He was standing in a crowded market place, to look out for a person, whom he could interview for a newspaper. [Corrigendum: Please read Q.I(i) of the extract as—Who was Rizwan? Where was he standing and why?]

HUNGER

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(ii) As Rizwan stood in the crowded market place, he thought that although there was unemployment, yet people were eating and drinking and buying expensive articles. (iii) Kasim, a rag-seller was walking in Rizwan’s direction. He was carrying a load of old clothes to be sold to the intended buyers, who included poor labourers. (iv) Rizwan stopped the man to take his interview for the Kihaan newspaper. He did not exchange any greetings with the man because he did not consider it necessary to show respect to a poor, rag-seller. This shows that Rizwan lacked politeness and manners. Further, he had double standards because he greeted people in his office. (v) Rizwan neither greet the man nor ask him anything to build a rapport with him before starting the interview. [Corrigendum: Please read Q.I(v) of the extract as—How did Rizwan treat the man walking in his direction in the market?] II. (i) Rizwan is the speaker in these lines. He is addressing a poor, rag-seller, Kasim. He is doing so because he is interviewing him for the Kihaan newspaper. (ii) Chacha gets angry when Rizwan asks him where he lives because he does not have a permanent home and lives wherever he gets a place, like in front of a shop or under a bridge. (iii) The story only mentions Chacha’s father and his son. His father was an old man, who used to work as labourer and did not earn decent wages for a living. His son was a four-year old boy, who used to play around in the village, chase dogs and would take up his father’s profession of rag-selling, on attaining the age of five. (iv) The government was apparently helping the poor farmers by giving land to them and providing education to their children. Chacha considered the policies of government as futile and false promises to solicit votes. He felt so because he was a poor labourer and his father, grandfather and great grandfather were poor labourers, who did not get any benefit from the government policies to alleviate their poverty. (v) A ‘tout’ is a person who persuades somebody on behalf of another person or organisation to buy something or take a particular action. The first speaker says that he is a journalist by profession.

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III. (i) Rizwan, the interviewer and Kasim, the interviewee are the speakers in these lines. They are present in a crowded market place. (ii) ‘Shah’ refers to ruler of Iran, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Rizwan, the interviewer asked Kasim, a poor rag-seller (the interviewee), if he knew who was the Shah, to which he replied in negative. (iii) The second speaker, i.e., Kasim says that his father had told him that his father (Kasim’s grandfather) died of hunger or cold. (iv) The answer given by the second speaker reveals that during the Shah’s reign, there was widespread poverty. The labourers could hardly earn enough to make both ends meet and therefore, many used to die of hunger and starvation. (v) The second speaker’s son was a child of four years, who used to play around in village, chasing dogs. The speaker wanted him to join his profession of rag-selling, on attaining the age of five. IV. (i) Rizwan wanted to tell the rag-seller that the government was helping the poor farmers and that he could take loan from the bank, to set up his business and lead a better life. (ii) No, Rizwan was not sent by the government because he was interviewing Kasim on behalf of the Kihaan newspaper, where Rizwan had joined that day only. (iii) Kasim said that he did not want a better job because he was satisfied with his lot and he had no faith in the promises made by the government for the welfare of the poor. (iv) The similar things, which happened with Kasim earlier included the promises made by the government to improve the lot of the poor and the government’s total apathy towards their poor condition later on. (v) Kasim used to spend his nights in front of a shop or under a bridge. He used to do so because he had no home or shelter to spend the nights. (vi) Kasim said that he could not meet Rizwan the next day in the market place because he was going to his village. He then told Rizwan that it was time for him to start his work and carrying his goods, went away hurriedly from there. V. (i) The rag-seller simply walked away because he did not want to waste any more time in discussing the shallow political propaganda of the government.

HUNGER

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(ii) Rizwan felt helpless when Kasim, the rag-seller, whom he was interviewing, went away without giving his address, for he (Kasim) was a homeless, poor man. (iii) Rizwan would be considered for a job in the Kihaan newspaper on the condition that he would contibute a few articles and submit interviews with five people along with their names and addresses for the newspaper. (iv) The task of interviewing people for the newspaper was made difficult for Rizwan by the lack of a permanent address of the poor rag-seller, whom he had interviewed. The condition for Rizwan being given a job in the newspaper stipulated that he had to give the interviews of five people with their names and addresses. (v) Rizwan’s father had died two years ago and his mother was ill. His two younger brothers had dropped out of school due to financial problems. He was the eldest boy in the family, and he did not have a permanent job. If he did not get a job, his family would have to starve. VI. (i) Rizwan was thinking of his unending problems at home which included the sickness of his mother and his two younger brothers dropping out of school because of financial constraints. He was feeling dejected because he could not get the address of the person he had interviewed and the interview had to be submitted in the newspaper only with the name and the address of the interviewee. (ii) At his office, Rizwan greeted everyone, although he had joined the office that day only. But he did not greet Kasim when he met him at the market place. He straight away started asking him questions for the interview. It shows that Rizwan followed double standards and did not think it important to show any respect to Kasim, a rag-seller. Besides, he lacked the experience of a reporter. (iii) Before submitting the interview at the newspaper office, Rizwan wrote his own name and address on Kasim’s interview. He did so because the condition laid by the newspaper for Rizwan to be considered for the job of a journalist, stipulated that the interview must have the name and address of the interviewee. (iv) When Rizwan came out of the newspaper office, he had the satisfaction that he had submitted one interview for the newspaper and consequently, would have the work for at least the next day. He was worried about finding the names and addresses of the

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TEACHERS’ HANDBOOK (ICSE SHORT STORIES) people to be interviewed the next day so that the possibility of getting a job would continue to exist for him.

(v) Rizwanted wanted to reach home as quickly as possible because he was extremely tired and hungry. (vi) The socio-economic inequality is brought out in the story by the following: (a) There were customers in the market, who were purchasing expensive items and enjoying themselves, eating and drinking. In contrast to them was Rizwan, an educated, jobless young man. He did not have money in his pocket even to satiate his hunger. His two younger brothers had dropped out of school because of financial constraints. (b) There was Kasim, a rag-seller, who represented the have-nots. He lived in the city and used to sell rags to those who could not afford to buy new clothes. Kasim did not have any home and slept wherever he got a place. He told Rizwan that his father, grandfather and great grandfather worked hard as labourers but could not earn enough to make both ends meet.

ASSIGNMENTS I. (i) Todd is a Major in the army and the narrator’s friend, who had borrowed a dollar from the narrator a year ago. Todd and the narrator seem to be close friends because they meet each other frequently and the issue of the borrowed dollar does not make any difference in their trust and friendship for each other. (ii) Todd borrowed a dollar from the narrator to pay his taxi fare because he did not have any change with him. One year had passed since he borrowed the dollar from the narrator. (iii) Todd has failed to return the loan because of forgetfulness. This tells us that Todd is a careless and forgetfull man. (iv) (a) It means that the narrator’s friend’s act of borrowing a dollar and then forgetting to pay it back would not make any difference to their friendship. (b) The narrator means to say that if somebody borrows something from him, he will remember it throughout his life. (v) The human memory is strong in the case of lenders, whereas it diminishes with time in the case of the borrowers. For example,

MY LOST DOLLAR

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the narrator not only remembers that he had lent a dollar to his friend, Todd, but also the exact date on which he had lent the dollar. But, the borrower, i.e., the narrator’s friend, Todd not only forgets of having borrowed a dollar, he does not even get any hint from a number of indirect references made by the narrator about debts. (vi) No, the narrator does not seem to have any hope of being paid back the dollar his friend has borrowed. This is because a year has already passed since his friend has borrowed the dollar. He seems to have totally forgotten about it because a number of indirect references given by the narrator about debts does not have any effect in reviving his friend’s memory. II. (i) Todd was away for three weeks to Hamilton, Bermuda. He wrote to the narrator about the extreme temperature conditions in Bermuda, the temperature reaching nearly 100° F. (ii) The narrator went to the railway station to receive Todd because he felt that his friend, Todd might feel happy to see him waiting for him on the station after being away for three weeks. This shows that the narrator values friendship and does things that makes his friend happy. (iii) Todd and the narrator were close friends. They liked each other’s company and therefore, met practically everyday at the club and remained in touch with each other. There existed trust and mutual understanding between the two. The small issues of one dollar did not affect their friendship in anyway. (iv) The University Club of Montreal, where Todd and the narrator used to meet practically everyday is referred to. The narrator suggested that they should take a taxi because that might remind his friend of the dollar he had borrowed from him a year ago for paying his taxi fare. (v) The narrator and his friend, Todd talked about the latter’s trip to Bermuda. Then, they talked about the currency used in Bermuda and whether it is at par with the American Dollar. During the conversation, the thought of the dollar borrowed by Todd was at the back of the narrator’s mind. III. (i) Major Todd’s trip to Bermuda is being referred to in the extract. It lasted for three weeks. Todd said that he had practically forgotten everything about his trip. (ii) The extract tells us that Todd is a forgetfull and careless man

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TEACHERS’ HANDBOOK (ICSE SHORT STORIES) for he forgets the dollar he had borrowed from his friend as well as practically everything about his trip to Bermuda, just after returning from the trip.

(iii) (a) It means that the narrator does not have any negative feelings for his friend, Todd despite Todd having forgotten to pay back the dollar he had borrowed from the him a year ago. (b) It means behaviour or attitude. The narrator says that no change occurs in his behaviour with his friend Tood who had borrowed a dollar from him an year ago and has forgotten to pay him back. (iv) The narrator’s borrowers have forgotten to pay back the money they had borrowed from him. The narrator’s attitude towards his borrowers does not undergo any change on account of their not having paid back the borrowed money. (v) The practice of lending and borrowing referred to in the extract points to the painful fact that the lenders remember the money they have lent, whereas the borrowers forget about it. IV. (i) In the first sentence of the extract, ‘them’ refers to the people to whom the narrator owes some money and has forgotten to pay back. By the phrase ‘on this side of the grave’ the narrator wants to say that while he is alive, he may not pay back the money he has borrowed from some people. (ii) The narrator’s act of writing down names in the alphabetic order suggests that he is serious about repaying the money he has borrowed. That is why, he even asks his creditors to speak out and tell him if he owes them any money. (iii) The narrator feels that it is not necessary to pay back the money lent over a bridge table or for drinking soda water. The narrator feels so because these are friendly exchanges among friends. (iv) The narrator wants to start a Back to Honesty Movement, which calls for repayment of all the money borrowed in times of need. This plan of the narrator reveals that he is meek and eccentric for instead of asking his friend straightaway to pay back the borrowed dollar, he thinks of starting such a high-sounding project. (v) The title of the story My Lost Dollar is quite appropriate because: (a) the entire story revolves around a particular dollar that the narrator had lent to his friend, Todd. Todd has completely

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forgotten to pay back and the narrator considers it as lost for ever. (b) the observations that the narrator makes in the story like he himself must have borrowed money from some people and would have forgotten to pay back and difference in memory between the lenders and the borrowers and starting a Back to Honesty Movement, are a reflection on the practice of lending and borrowing based on the one dollar that he had lent to his friend, Todd.

ASSIGNMENTS I. (i) Alagu and Jumman were close childhood friends. They used to till their land in common, were partners in money lending business and used to take care of each other’s household, in case of either’s absence. (ii) The secret of their mutual trust and confidence was their mutual outlook and a community of ideas. (iii) Jumman’s father was a strict disciplinarian, who believed in the precept, “Don’t spare the rod, or you’ll spoil him.” As a result of his precept, his son grew up to be a fine scholar, who was unequal in the entire village for drafting petitions or drawing up a deed. (iv) Alagu’s father believed that a teacher’s blessings are necessary for transforming a student into a fine scholar and that his blessings can be attained by keeping his hookah fresh and feeding his chillum regularly. Alagu continued with his father’s advice and spent his time serving his teacher by keeping his hookah fresh and feeding his chillum. Consequently, Alagu failed to acquire much education. (v) Alagu was respected in the village for his wealth, whereas Jumman was respected for his learning. II. (i) The old lady was Jumman’s maternal aunt and Jumman was her nephew. There was an agreement between the two that the old lady would transfer her property to him on the condition she would be looked after by Jumman and his wife. (ii) Before the deed was signed, the old lady’s every wish used to be fulfilled without askance. Jumman was obliging towards her

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TEACHERS’ HANDBOOK (ICSE SHORT STORIES) and considerate of all her needs. After the deed was registered, Jumman became indifferent towards her and used to illtreat her.

(iii) The nephew’s wife’s name was Kariman. She illtreated the old lady and continuously nagged and insulted her. She never served the old lady her meals without uttering remarks full of bitterness and insult. (iv) The old lady patiently bore all the insults and daily humilation as long as she could. But ultimately she demanded that she should be given a small allowance so that she could set up a separate kitchen for herself. (v) Her newphew reacted indifferently to her demands and said that the money did not grow on trees and taunted her that she had not conquered death. (vi) The old lady threatened her nephew that if he would not fulfill her demands, she would take her case before the panchayat. No, the old lady’s threat did not affect him in anyway. This was because all the members of the panchayat were his friends, whom he had obliged at one time or the other. He was sure that they would not go against him. III. (i) The old woman was Jumman’s maternal aunt, who used to live with Jumman and his family. She went from villager to villager to narrate her tale of woe, comprising humiliation and insults hurled on her by Jumman and his wife. (ii) The incident of Jumman’s aunt threatening Jumman of taking her case to the panchayat, if her demands were not fulfilled and Jumman’s indifferent attitude to the threat is referred to here. (iii) Most of the villagers offered their verbal sympathy to her. Some of them cursed the hard times which had brought the old woman to such a miserable state, whereas others advised her to patch up with her nephew. (iv) At last, the old woman approached Jumman’s friend, Alagu. She requested him to attend the panchayat, when her case comes up in the panchayat. (v) Alagu agreed to attend the panchayat as per the old lady’s request but asked her to excuse him from being part of the proceedings in the panchayat. IV. (i) The old lady, who has called the panchayat to take up her case against her nephew, is the speaker in these lines. The speaker is Jumman’s maternal aunt.

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(ii) The speaker was constantly nagged and insulted by Jumman and his wife. She was not served any meal without abuses being hurled on her. She was denied the basic necessities of life like food and clothes. (iii) The speaker demanded that justice should be done to her. If she was in the wrong, she should be punished, but if her nephew, Jumman was wrong, he should be corrected. (iv) The panchayat was held in the evening under the village tree. Jumman made all the arrangements for the panchayat such as getting the carpet laid and providing a good supply of pan, elaichi and hookahs to those present in the panchayat. (v) The panchayat held under a tree after the sun set, presented a strange sight. In one corner of the panchayat, live charcoal was kept glowing to feed the ‘chillums’ of the guests. In another corner, the village children were shouting, crying and quarelling with each other. Yet in another corner, the village dogs had assembled in full force, thinking it was a day of feasting. There was excitement and disorder all around. V. (i) Alagu Chowdhari became the head-panch when he was nominated by Jumman’s aunt, as the panchayat system stipulated the nomination of a head-panch, acceptable to both the parties. Jumman’s aunt nominated him because she was sure that Alagu will not kill his conscience for the sake of his friendship with Jumman. (ii) Jumman was delighted at Alagu’s nomination as the head-panch because he knew that Alagu, being his intimate friend, would not go against him. (iii) Jumman did not propose anybody’s name as nominee for the head-panch because majority of the people, who attended the panchayat did not have a favourable opinion of Jumman. (iv) Alagu told the old lady about his friendship with Jumman and indirectly reminded her of the repercussions of appointing him as the head-panch. The old lady replied that she was well aware of Alagu’s friendship with Jumman and she also knew that Alagu won’t kill his conscience for the sake of his friendship with Jumman. (v) As the head-panch, Alagu began the proceedings by addressing Jumman and telling him that although they had earlier helped each other in times of difficulty, but now since he was the panch, both Jumman and his aunt, were equal in his eyes.

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(vi) Jumman’s first reaction to Alagu’s proceedings was that Alagu was only pretending to be fair and just. In his defence, Jumman said that he had been carrying all his obligations towards his aunt like a son would be doing for his mother. He accepted the fact that there had been occasional quarrels between his aunt and his wife. However, he could not afford to pay a monthly allowance to his aunt. VI. (i) ‘He’ in the extract refers to Alagu. He gained knowledge of law by visiting the courts often in connection with his business and by observing the legal proceeedings there. (ii) Ramadhan Misra was the resident of another village. He bore a grudge against Jumman for the latter had settled some of Ramadhan’s tenants in his own village. He was excited to see Alagu defeating Jumman in his cross-examination. (iii) Jumman was wondering how his friend, Alagu, who was talking to him cordially a moment ago, was now trying to bring before the panchayat his faults. He found it difficult to understand for which old grievance, Alagu was trying to take revenge on him. He was wondering like that because Alagu was his close friend and he had thought that he would favour him, rather than his aunt. (iv) The panchayat’s verdict was that Jumman had to pay a monthly allowance to his aunt. In case of non-compliance with the panchayat’s verdict, the deed transferring her aunt’s property to him will be declared null and void. Jumman was stunned to hear the verdict. He could not understand how his friend, Alagu, whom he trusted so much had suddenly turned into an enemy by pronouncing a verdict against him. (v) The villagers were full of praise for Alagu for his sense of fairness and justice. They said that Alagu had separated truth from falsehood as a swan separates milk from water. (vi) The verdict spoiled the relationship that existed between Jumman and Alagu. The two friends avoided seeing each other, and if they happened to meet by chance, they behaved like enemies. Jumman kept on thinking about how to take revenge on Alagu and waited with baited breath for such an opportunity to come his way. VII. (i) Alagu purchased the pair of bullocks a year ago from the Bateshwar fair. The bullocks had beautiful long curved horns

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and were of western breed. They were so attractive that they remained the envy and the rage of the whole village for months together. (ii) The death of one of the bullocks further strained the already strained relationship between Alagu and Jumman. Jumman connected the death of the bullock as God’s punishment on Alagu for his treacherous conduct of giving the verdict against him. Alagu, on the other hand, accused Jumman of poisoning his bullock. (iii) Alagu sold the other bullock to Samjhu Sahu, a cart driver. The bullock was sold at one-hundred and fifty rupees. It was agreed that Samjhu Sahu, the buyer would pay the price in a month’s time. (iv) The bullock led a miserable life at his new master, Samjhu Sahu’s place. He was overworked and forced to undertake three trips to the town without any rest and full feed. Consequently, the bullock was reduced to a skeleton and could hardly drag the cart. VIII. (i) Samjhu Sahu nominated Jumman as the head-panch. He did so because he was aware of the hostility between Alagu and Jumman and thought Jumman would not favour Alagu and so the verdict would go in his favour. (ii) On hearing Jumman’s name as the head-panch, Alagu’s heart began to sink, his face turned pale and looked as if he had received a sudden blow. He felt so because he was aware that Jumman had been waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on him. (iii) As Jumman became the head-panch in the Alagu-Sahu case, he realised the gravity of his office. He knew that since he was sitting on the throne of justice, he should not utter anything but truth. He was conscious of the fact that as a judge, his words carry the same respect as the words of God. He realised that he must not allow his personal feelings of hostility towards Alagu to interfere with his duty of dispensing justice. (iv) The members of the panchayat differed on the issue of whether Alagu should be paid the full price of the bullock, or whether there should be any reduction in the price, taking into consideration the loss suffered by Sahu. (v) Jumman pronounced the verdict that Samjhu had to pay the full amount for the ox he bought from Alagu, because when he bought the cattle, it was in good health and the ox died of slow

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TEACHERS’ HANDBOOK (ICSE SHORT STORIES) starvation and ovework. Had Samjhu paid the amount at the time of purchase, the present situation would not have arisen.

(vi) Yes, Jumman’s verdict was absolutely fair as it was Samjhu Sahu’s greed to earn more profit that made him overwork his ox, without giving the animal rest and proper food. The verdict once again brought the two friends close to each other. Alagu was ovewhelmed at Jumman’s fairness in dispensing justice. He broke down and wept on Jumman’s shoulders. They embraced each other and renewed their friendship.

ASSIGNMENTS I. (i) The first speaker in the extract is the doctor, who has come to examine Johnsy. He is an optimistic person, who strongly belives in the power of positive thinking. (ii) The ‘little lady’ is a reference for Johnsy. She is suffering from pneumonia. (iii) The ‘little lady’ has only one in ten chances of recovery. This is because she has lost her will to live and therefore, even the medicines fail to have any positive effect on her. (iv) To the first speaker’s last question in the extract, Sue replied that a man is not worth thinking and Johnsy does not have a man on her mind. Johnsy does not consider men worth giving attention. This shows that she does not have a positive attitude towards men. (v) The ‘little lady’ actually has all the negative thoughts regarding her death on her mind. She believes that when the last ivy leaf falls from the vine, her life too will come to an end. (vi) The first speaker, i.e., the doctor assured Sue that if she would be able to make Johnsy ask one question about the latest winter styles in cloak sleeves, he would promise one-in-five chances for Johnsy’s survival, instead of one in ten. II. (i) Johnsy and Sue are two young artists, who share an apartment. They first met six months ago at a group table in Delmonico’s, a restaurant in New York City. (ii) The two girls’ common tastes and interests in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves made them start a joint studio.

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(iii) Johnsy was looking outside the window to watch the leaves falling from an ivy vine on the wall of the opposite brick house. She was counting the number of the leaves falling from the ivy vine. (iv) She was sketching a pair of elegant horseshow riding trousers and a monocle of the figure of the hero, an Idaho cowboy. (v) Johnsy had taken strange fancy to the falling ivy leaves from the vine. She believed that with the fall of the last ivy leaf from the vine, her life too would come to an end. (vi) She told Johnsy that her chances of recovery were ten to one. She told a lie to Johnsy to keep up her sagging spirits and revive a hope of survival in Johnsy. III. (i) The first speaker here is ‘Johnsy’. She is waiting for the last leaf to fall from the vine and also her impending death. (ii) Johnsy told Sue to tell her when the last leaf from ivy vine would fall because she wanted to see the last leaf fall. (iii) Behrman is a painter by profession, who lives in the apartment beneath Sue and Johnsy. Behrman is an old man past sixty. He has a beard that looks like the beard of Moses, a sculpture by Michael Angelo. His beard curls down from his head and makes him look like a mythological creature having a man’s face and body of a little man that has magic powers but behaves badly. (iv) No, Behrman was not considered a professional success because in the last forty years of his career, he has not painted anything extraordinary. (v) Behrman used to earn his living by serving as a model to those young artists, who could not afford a professional for the purpose. (vi) Behrman’s attitude towards Sue and Johnsy was fraternal affection, for he was a striving artist like the two girls. Further, he had a fatherly affection for them for he considered himself as ‘especial mastiff-in-waiting’ to protect the two girls. IV. (i) When Behrman came to know about Johnsy’s strange fancy concerning the last leaf, he became quite angry and expressed his contempt and derision for such an idiotic imagination. (ii) Behrman refused to pose as a model for Sue in the beginning because he was angry with Sue for allowing Johnsy to harbour such a strange fancy concerning the last leaf and her own death.

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(iii) The strange fancy which has filled Johnsy’s mind was that she would die the very moment the last ivy leaf on the vine would  fall. (iv) Yes, Behrman after refusing initially, finally agreed to pose as a model for Sue. He did so because he had a fatherly affection for Sue and Johnsy and was concerned for their well-being. This shows that Behrman was a noble soul, whose heart was full of gentle feelings. V. (i) ‘It’ refers to the last leaf on the ivy vine. It plays an important role in the story with regard to Johny’s strange fancy that with the falling of the last leaf from the vine, she would die. (ii) Johnsy was sure that ‘it’, i.e., the last leaf would fall during the night because she had been continuously sitting near her window and watching the leaves fall from the vine. Hearing the wind, she was sure that even the last leaf would fall at night. (iii) Johnsy’s strange thinking regarding the falling of the leaves of the ivy vine and her own life suggests that Johnsy had a pessimistic view of life and harboured negative thoughts. (iv) Sue’s dialogue in the extract tells us that she has developed a strong bond of friendship with Johnsy and is much concerned about Johnsy’s welfare. She is hinting that she may not be able to bear the loss of losing Johnsy. (v) Johnsy did not answer Sue’s last question in the extract. (vi) Sue tried to change Johnsy’s pessimistic attitude towards life by diverting Johnsy’s mind from the last leaf and sickness by making her take interest in things around her. She talked to her about clothes and fashion. She tried to keep up Johnsy’s sagging spirits by bringing her drawing board in Johnsy’s room and whistling while painting. VI. (i) Sue is the speaker here. She is speaking to Johnsy. (ii) The speaker, i.e., Sue addressed the listener, i.e., Johnsy as ‘white mouse’ because Johnsy had recovered from her illness and regained her health. (iii) Mr. Behrman was an old artist, who used to live in the apartment beneath Sue and Johnsy. The speaker got the news of Behrman’s death from the doctor, who had come to examine Johnsy. (iv) Mr. Behrman was out in the heavy rain at night, with a ladder, across the brick wall where the ivy vine went in order to paint an ivy leaf on the wall.

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(v) The things found on the morning of the first day of Mr. Behrman’s illness included a lighted lantern, a ladder, some scattered brushes and a palette with green and yellow colours mixed on it. (vi) Mr. Behrman risked his life by going out in the pouring rain and painting the last ivy leaf on the wall, after the original leaf has fallen. On seeing that the last leaf, with the falling of which she had associated her death, Johnsy got the hope and the will to live and was finally cured of her illness. But in the process of saving Johnsy’s life, old Behrman got drenched in the rain, caught pneumonia and died. Thus, Behrman sacrificed his own life to save Johnsy’s life.

ASSIGNMENTS 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.

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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.

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(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

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TEACHERS’ HANDBOOK (ICSE SHORT STORIES) 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.

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ASSIGNMENTS 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.

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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.

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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.

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(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.

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(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.

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(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.

ASSIGNMENTS 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.

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(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

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TEACHERS’ HANDBOOK (ICSE SHORT STORIES) 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 a tree with neatly as if the skill he

excellent skill in using his axe. He could cut down just three or four swift strokes using his axe, as it had been sawn. He was proud of it because of 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

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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.

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(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).

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ASSIGNMENTS 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.

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(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.

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(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.

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(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.