Questions From Flamingo and Vistas

Short answer type questions.
1. What role does Sam’s letter play in the story ?
2.  What does the expression ‘polished traffic’ refer to ? What does it reveal about city people ?
3. Why did the iron master compare Edla to a parson ?
4. What is the significance of the word ‘but’ in ‘but all I said was see you soon, Amma ? 
5.  What handicap did Doughlas suffer from ? How did he overcome that ?
6. What according to Pablo Neruda in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’ is the lesson that we should learn from mother earth ?
7. How did the ‘duraisani’ behave on receiving the gifts ?
8. How does Mr. Lamb try and convince Derry that there is no essential difference between them ?
9. Why was Dr. Sadao not sent abroad with the troops ?
10. What was the hidden agenda behind the Tiger King’s marriage with the princess in the neighbouring state ?
11. The description of Seemapuri creates a very dismal picture. Explain.
12. Why was the peddler hesitant to accompany the ironmaster to the manor house ? (The Rattrap)
13. What risk did Dr. Sadao run in harbouring the enemy American soldier in his house ? (The Enemy)
14. Why was Derry startled as soon as he entered the garden ?
15. Why did the Maharaja have to pay a bill of three lakh rupees to the British jewellers ? 
16. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of twenty-five percent refund to the peasants ? 
17. What made the ironmaster invite the peddler to his house ?
18. What was the expectation of the people who had set up the roadside stand ?
19. Why did Aunt Jennifer create tigers so different from her own character ?
20. Why can the bangle-makers not organise themselves into a cooperative ? (Lost Spring)
21. Why did Douglas decide to go to the YMCA pool to learn swimming ?

22. What warning did Judewin give to Zitkala-Sa ?

23. What dilemma did Dr. Sadao face about the wounded American soldier ?

24. Describe the role of Raj Kumar Shukla in Indigo.

25. ‘There can be life under apparent stillness’. Explain. (Keeping Quiet)

26.  Explain the metaphor of the rattrap.

27.  Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting impression ? 

Long answer type questions.
1. The last lesson reflects the flaws in human character that led to the sad plight of people in Alsace. Substantiate your answer with evidences from the text.
2. Edla is a contrast to her father, the ironmaster. Explain.
3. Bama and Zitkala-Sa, though victims of a system that crushes their aspirations, are determined to break out. Comment.

4. Last Spring’ and ‘Indigo’ bring out how the common man is a victim of exploitation. Explain.

      1.    What tempted Franz to stay away from school? Or Why did Franz not want to go to school that day?
2.       Why did Franz find the whole school to be strange and solemn?
3.       When Franz thinks of M Hamel as a ‘’poor man!”, what was the boy’s thoughts and feelings?
4.       Who did M. Hamel blame when Franz was unable to answer a question on French participles?              
       What was M Hamel’s regret on the day of the last lesson?
5.       How did M Hamel offer his tribute to the French language?
6.       How and why was M. Hamel dressed differently  that day?
7.     What did the French teacher tell his students in   his last  French  lesson? What impact did it have on    them? Why?
8.       Franz reached school late. Yet, M. Hamel did not scold him. Why?
9.       What impression does the character of M. Hamel leave on you?
        Why were the old men of the village present in the classroom?
11.   What had been put on the bulletin  board?
Lost Spring
1.       How is the bangle industry of Firozabad a curse for the bangle makers? Or
       Mention the hazards of  working in the glass bangles industry.
2.       Why should child labor be eliminated and how? Explain on the basis of  Lost Spring.
3.       What does the title ‘Lost Spring’ convey?
4.       What is Saheb looking for in the  garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
5.       What are the differences  in  the ambitions of Saheb and Mukesh?
Deep Water
1.       Mention any two long term consequences of the drowning incident on Douglas.
2.       What    is the ‘misadventure’ that William Douglas speaks a bout?
3.       How did the instructor ‘build a swimmer’ out of Douglas?
4.       How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
5.       How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
6.        
The Rattrap
1.       The story ‘The  Rattrap’ is both entertaining and philosophical. Discuss.
2.       What did the gift of the rattrap signify?
3.       The peddler believed that the whole world is a rattrap. How did he himself get caught in the same?
4.       At the crofter’s home, why did   the peddler feel very happy?
5.       Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?
Indigo
1.       Why do you think Gandhi ji considered the Champaran episode to be a turning-point in his life?
2.       Why did Gandhi ji feel    that taking the Champaran case  to the court was useless?
3.       Why did Gandhiji consider freedom from fear more important than legal   justice for the poor peasants   of Champaran?
4.       Who was Rajkumar Shukla? What role did he play at Champaran?
5.       “The battle of Champaran is won.” When  and  why did Gandhiji utter these words?
6.       Why did Gandhi  agree    to the settlement of 25% per cent refund to the   farmers?
Poets and Pancakes
1.       Why did the author appear to be  doing nothing    at the studios?
2.       How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?
3.       What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?
4.       Why was Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?
5.       What does ‘The God that Failed’ refer to?
The Interview
1.       What do celebrities dislike most  about interviews?
2.       Who,    in today’s world, is our   chief     source  of information    about    personalities?
3.       What    was distinctive about Eco’s        academic writing style?
4.       What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose?
5.       How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Going Places
1.       Sophie  was dreaming of so many things in her life. What were    they?
2.       How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?
3.       How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?
4.       How Sophie and Jansie were different from each other?
5.       What socio economic back ground did Sophie belong to?
Poetry
My Mother at Sixty Six
1.       What different images does the  poet use to convey the idea of her mother’s old age?
2.       What does the poet realise with  pain? Why does  the poet ‘put that thought away’ and look outside?
3.       What    kind of thought  the poet wishes  to put away in ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’? Why?
4.       Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?
Keeping Quiet
1.       What symbol does the poet invoke in‘ Keeping Quiet’   to convey the idea of life under   apparent stillness?
2.       What are the different kinds of war mentioned in the poem that the poet is   against?
3.       Why does Pablo Neruda count   up to twelve and what is the purpose of this exercise?
A Thing of Beauty
1.       According to Keats what moves away the pain and suffering from human life?
2.       Describe the endless fountain of immortal drink.
3.       What  is  the central  idea of the poem 'A Thing of Beauty’?
4.       Do we  experience things of beauty only for short moments or    do they make a lasting   impression on    us?
A Roadside Stand
1.       What is the ‘childish longing’ of the folk who had put up the roadside stand? Why is it ‘in vain’?
2.       What is the untold   sorrow  of  the owners of the   roadside stand?
3.       How would the innocent be soothed out       of         their      wits?
4.       What is  the poet’s complaint in the poem "A Roadside Stand”?
Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger
1.       The poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ is replete with symbols. Interpret any  two symbols used in the poem.
2.       How does the poet describe Aunt Jennifer’s tigers?
3.       Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel?
4.       What    is suggested by the image ‘massive weight  of uncle’s wedding band’?
5.       What  are the items that Aunt Jennifer is embroidering? What   do they signify?

1.     A Roadside Stand is a social satire depicting the two contrasting worlds existing in society. Justify this statement with reference to the poem.

2.    What handicap did Doughlas suffer from ? How did he overcome that ?

3.    What vicious circle are the bangle-makers trapped in ?

4.   The last lesson reflects the flaws in human character that led to the sad plight of people in Alsace. Substantiate your answer with evidences from the text.

5.    Why did the iron master compare Edla to a parson ?

6.     What did Charley find in his collection of first day covers ?

7.    What did the astrologers depict about the child when he was born?

8..       In what way did the infant Tiger King surprise the astrologer ?

9.     Why did the servants decide to leave the Dr Sadao's house?

10. Saheb and Mukesh are victims of the apathy of the Government and society. Support your answer with a rationale.

11. What attributes of Subbu raised him to the status of No. 2 at Gemini Studio ? Substantiate your answer with evidence from the text.

12. How is visiting Antarctica important to understand the Earth's past, present and future ? Support your answer with a rationale.

13. Why was Jansie feeling sad when she heard about Sophie's desire to open a boutique ? (Going Places)