Q & A FROM UNIT 1
1. What did Swami do lying in bed ?
= Lying in bed Swami shuddered to think that it was Monday morning.
2. What did it seem to him while he was lying?
= While he was lying in bed it seemed to Swami that a moment ago it was Friday.
3. What did Swami hope when Monday arrived?
= When Monday arrived Swami's hope was that he did not have to go to school.
4.What did Mother do when Swami complained of headache?
= When Swami complained of headache, Mother generously suggested that he might stay at home.
5.What did Swami do when it was time to be in the school prayer hall?
= At 9.30 Swami lay on a bench in Mother's room when it was time to be in the school prayer hall.
6. What did Father ask Swami?
= Father asked Swami if he had no school that day.
7.What did Swami know about his Father?
= Swami knew that Father could not be convinced by tantrums as he was very strict.
8. What was Swami's new tactics?
= Swami's new tactics was that he would not go to school as he would be late.
9.What does Swami tell his Father about his teacher ?
= Swami says that his teacher is especially angry with boys who come to class in late.
10. What does Swami do to avoid going to school ?
= Swami is desperate to avoid school at any cost.So,at nine O'clock he complains of headache and starts wailing.
11. Why did Swami lie on the bench in Mother's room?
= Swami hoped that Father would not force him to go to school. As Mother suggested that he might stay at home , he lay on the bench in Mother's room.
12. How can Swami be free from headache on Monday?
= According to Father, if Swami loafs about less on Sundays , Swami can be free from headache on Monday.
13. Why did Swami change his tactics?
= As Swami's ploy of headache failed to convince his father, he changed his tactics saying he could not go to school as he was late for the class.
Q & A FROM UNIT 2
1. Where did Father put the letter?
=Father put the letter in an envelope and sealed it.
2. What did Swami fail to decide about Samuel?
=Swami failed to decide if Samuel really deserved the allegations made against him in the letter.
3.How did Samuel look?
= Swami remembered Samuel had a dark face, thin moustache, unshaven cheek and he had put on a yellow coat.
4.What did Swami hope ?
= Swami hoped Father would realise why he must avoid school that day.
5. What did Swami ask his Father and how ?
= Swami asked his Father apprenhensively what he had written in the letter.
6. What did Father tell Swami about the content of the letter?
= Instead of telling what he had written, Father said everything was there in the letter.
7. What was Swami's feeling when he went to school?
= Swami went to school feeling that he was the worst boy on earth.
8. What was Swami not sure of?
= Swami was not sure if his description of his teacher Samuel was accurate.
9.Why did Swami stop on the road side?
= Swami stopped on the roadside to make up his mind about Samuel .
10. Why was Swami's head dizzy ?
= Swami's head was dizzy with confusion.
11. What bothered Swami?
= Swami's conscience bothered him.
Q & A FROM UNIT 3
1. When did an idea occur to Swami?
= When Swami entered through the school gate, an idea occurred to him.
2. What was the idea of Swami?
= Swami thought that he would deliver the letter to the Headmaster at the end of the day.
3. What does the teacher want?
= The teacher, Samuel, told Swami that they wanted more parents like his father .
4. What had Swami never met before?
= Swami had never before met a man and a teacher like Samuel.
5. Why would Swami deliver the letter to the headmaster at the end of the day?
= Swami would deliver the letter at the end of the day as he expected Samuel might do something to justify the letter?
6. Why did Swami sit down feeling sad?
= Swami had never met anyone as good as Samuel. He sat down feeling sad because it was against such a good man he made his father write to the headmaster
Extra Questions
Q1. What light does the father’s decision to write a letter of complaint against Samuel reflect on his character?Ans. Swami’s exaggerated account of Samuel’s violence led father to write a letter of complaint against him immediately. He neither tried to confirm the facts nor probe into them. This shows that he was very impulsive by nature.
Q2. Write a brief character sketch of Swami.
Ans. Swami is a school going boy who dislikes going to school particularly after the weekend. Being childish, casual and irresponsible in his approach, he doesn’t mind cooking up lame excuses to avoid attending the school. As such, he is not a liar, but he is capable of cooking up stories, exaggerating and distorting the facts. He is not bad at heart and doesn’t mean to malign anyone. The false allegations that he levels against Samuel prick his conscience and fill him with remorse.
Q3. Throw some light on the character of Swami’s father.
A3. A strict disciplinarian, Swami’s father exercises his parental authority inconsiderately without viewing anything from the child’s angle. He is short-tempered and very impulsive. Swami rightly thinks him to be stubborn. Without giving a hearing to the child, he right away calls him a liar and a coward. Yet it would be wrong to say that he is a mean and heartless fellow. In fact he is concerned about his son. He forces him to attend his schools or tauntingly calls him a coward for the child’s own good, so that he may be able to face life better when he grows up.
Q4. As he approached the yellow building he realized............he grieved for him the dark face,.
Q ( A ): Why was Swami in fears for the consequences of delivering letter to the headmaster ?
Q ( B ): Why was Swami was thinking more about Samue ?
Q ( C ): Why Swami realized that he was purjuing himself ?
Ans. A: Swami was in fear for the consequences of delivering the letter, because he new that if he deliver the letter , the Samuel would be dismissed by the headmaster and he would be chained by police and would be finally put in jail.
Ans. B: Swami was thinking more about his teacher because his inner soul was good and he didn't wanted the punishment of his teacher. He was much angry on his father for raising the issue unnecessarily that put an unnecessary mental pressure on Swami for unwanted consequences. It was just a matter of excuse for not going to school as small part of his dislike about the school.
Ans. C: Swami was feeling guilty for telling lie to his father about his teacher Samuel. This was big concern for his mental puzzle
Q5. At 9.30, when he ought to have Lets see. (Page 10, Para-2)
1.What would Swami usually do during prayer time at school?
2.What,According to father,is the cause of Swami's headache?
3.Complete the sentence given below suitably
If Swami had said 'headache' once again, his father..........
4.Do you think Swami is honest in his words? Justify your answer citing instances from the passage
Ans. 1.Swami usually shout during prayer time at school
Ans. 2.According to father playing too much on weekends is the cause of Swami's headache.
Ans. 3.If Swami had said headache once again, his father would have caned him.
Ans. 4.No Swamy is not honest. He is just playing a truant. Swamy changed his tactics.
(II) At 9.30 when he ought to. Lets see! (Page 10,Para-2)
1.When was Swami lying on the bench in mother's room?
2.Why did Swami change his tactics?
3.Complete the sentence given below suitably. You should have asked me if.............
4.What was usual about Swami mentioned in the first paragraph?
5.Why do you think that Swami is not ready to go to school?
Ans:
1. At 9.30 when it was time to go to School.
2. Swami knew his father was stubborn and strict that he could not be easily fooled.
3. You should have asked me if you had decided to stay back/away.
4. Usually Swami would shout out in the School Prayer Hall during prayer time.
5. The uninteresting methods of teaching and the non variety routine of the school might have kept Swami away from school
(III) As he approached the yellow building he grieved for him.
1.'Swami realised that he was purjuing himself and was ruining his teacher'.What does this statement suggest about the nature of Swami?
2.Pick out an expression which means 'to shake because you are frightened' from the extract.
3.What,Swami fears,will be the consequences of delivering letter to the headmaster?
4.Look at the expression: The more he thought of Samuel, the more he grieved for him.
Complete the following suitably
a.The more he thought of his father, .........
b.The weaker Swami became,..........
Ans:
1.Swami had told a lie to his father about Mr. Samuel. He felt a guilty of this.
2.Shudder
3.The Headmaster would dismiss Samuel and the police would chain him and put him in jail.
4 a) The more he thought of his father,the more angry he was.
b) The weaker Swami became, the slower he walked.
As he approached the more he grieved for him.
1.When did swami realize that he was perjuring himself and was ruining his teacher?
2.Pick out an expression which means 'the state in which one has lost honour or the respect of others,especially because of something one has done'.
3.Look at the expression:
The more he thought of Samuel, the more he grieved for him. Complete the following suitably.
a. The longer he spoke,..................
b. The more he lied.....................
4.Who does Swami dislike more at this juncture,Samuel or father? Why?
Ans:
1.As he approached the school building.
2.Humiliation
3 a) The longer he spoke, the more confused his father was.
b) The more he lied, the more he confused his father.
4. His father, because his father failed to understand him.
(V) Swami merely held out.You deserve your Samuel. (Page 17,Para-14)
1.What made Swami's heart light?
2.What might have prompted father to tear the letter?
3.Why did Swami run to the headmaster's room?
4.Did father believe Swami's excuse for not meeting the headmaster? Justify your answer citing father's remark.
Ans:
1.Finally he was successful in provoking his teacher and getting punished by him so that the letter (the allegations in the letter) may be justified.
2.The letter lost its relevance since it was not delivered on that day.
3.To deliver the letter and prove the allegation against Mr. Samuel..
4.No father didn't believe. Father's remark, “Don't lie in addition to being a coward” justifies this.