CBSE Class 10 English A Triumph of Surgery and The Thief’s Story Important Questions Set 07

Answer: (a) Hari Singh, the thief.
(b) He ran to escape from the scene of the theft, and slowed down once he felt safe so that he could count the notes.
(c) Six hundred rupees, in notes of fifty.
(d) At his waist, tied by the string of his pyjamas.

Teacher's Note:
1. The detail of the notes held by the pyjama string shows how carefully Hari carried his loot.
2. The amount is repeated in many questions on this lesson.

Answer: Tricki had grown very fat and lazy, lay panting on his rug, refused his favourite food and had bouts of vomiting. Mrs Pumphrey, worried, called Herriot. The real cause was overfeeding.

Teacher's Note:
1. Give the symptoms and the cause.
2. Name the real reason, which is greed and overfeeding.

Answer: Herriot gave no medicine. He put Tricki on a strict diet with only water for the first two days and let him play and run with the other dogs. The exercise and the lack of rich food made him lose his fat and recover.

Teacher's Note:
1. Mention the diet and the exercise.
2. The ‘treatment’ was without drugs.

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey had no idea what the doctor had done and thought some skilful operation had saved her pet. In fact there was no surgery at all, only diet and exercise, so the title is ironical.

Teacher's Note:
1. The phrase is used with irony.
2. Point out that no surgery took place.

Answer: While Tricki stayed, Mrs Pumphrey sent gifts to the doctor and his friends, such as eggs, wine and brandy. Herriot and his friends enjoyed the luxury and wished it to continue.

Teacher's Note:
1. The reason is the gifts.
2. Mention at least two items.

Answer: Hari Singh was a fifteen-year-old thief who had not been lucky lately. Anil seemed an easy-going and simple young man, so Hari thought he would be easy to trust and rob, and approached him after a wrestling match.

Teacher's Note:
1. Give his motive clearly.
2. Mention that Anil seemed simple and trusting.

Answer: Hari lied that he could cook. Anil said he could not pay him regularly but would give him food. Hari agreed to work for his meals and made a rupee or so a day from the market purchases.

Teacher's Note:
1. Mention food as the payment.
2. His small profit from the purchases is a detail.

Answer: The meal was so bad that Anil threw it to the dogs. Hari smiled so appealingly that Anil did not send him away and promised to teach him how to cook, and later to read and write.

Teacher's Note:
1. Both parts of the question need an answer.
2. Anil’s kindness is the point.

Answer: After stealing the money he missed the train and walked in the rain. He thought about Anil’s kindness and the chance to learn to read and write. He realised that education could bring him more than a few hundred rupees, and so he went back and slipped the notes under the mattress.

Teacher's Note:
1. His change of heart has two causes: Anil’s kindness and the prospect of learning.
2. Mention both.

Answer: Anil trusted Hari and was kind and honest, which made the theft difficult for Hari’s conscience. The next morning Anil gave him a fifty-rupee note and said he had made some money and would pay him regularly, without a word about the theft.

Teacher's Note:
1. Show Anil’s silent understanding.
2. Do not state that Anil said anything directly.

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey is a rich and kind woman who loves her dog Tricki dearly. Her love is foolish because she overfeeds him with cream cakes, chocolates and Horlicks, making him fat and ill. She does not realise this and thinks he needs more energy food. She is also deeply concerned, enquiring about his health and sending gifts to Herriot. She believes Herriot has worked a miracle and calls it ‘a triumph of surgery’. She teaches that excess of love can harm.

Teacher's Note:
1. Cover love, foolishness and gratitude.
2. Use at least two details from the text.

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey’s love for her pet was so great that she fed him far more than he needed. Tricki grew obese, lazy and sick, and could hardly walk. What he needed was less food and more exercise, and Herriot gave him both. The lesson is that too much care, like too much food, harms the one we love. Love should be wise, with a sense of balance and with attention to the real needs of the person or animal.

Teacher's Note:
1. State the moral with the example.
2. Include the cure.

Answer: Dr Herriot is a skilled and practical vet. He understands that Tricki’s trouble is overfeeding and treats it with diet and exercise. He is tactful because he does not hurt Mrs Pumphrey’s feelings but asks her to let the dog stay at the surgery. He does not mind the gifts she sends, but he also cares for the animal. His commonsense and gentle manner make him successful.

Teacher's Note:
1. Give two qualities with evidence.
2. Mention tact in dealing with Mrs Pumphrey.

Answer: Hari Singh stole six hundred rupees, which could have helped him live well for a week or two. But he realised that learning to read and write could give him a respectable life and far more money later. He returned the money and chose to stay with Anil. Money is spent and finished, while education lasts and creates opportunity. The story shows that kindness and a chance to learn can reform even a thief.

Teacher's Note:
1. Show Hari’s choice between money and education.
2. End on the idea of reform.

Answer: The story shows the power of trust and kindness. Anil trusts Hari despite a poor first meal and does not accuse him of the theft. His quiet generosity touches Hari’s conscience and changes him. Honesty and repentance are also shown when Hari returns the notes. The story also shows the value of education, as Hari decides to learn instead of stealing. Understanding can reform people more than punishment.

Teacher's Note:
1. Name trust, kindness and education.
2. Give an incident for each.

Answer: Anil came home with six hundred rupees from the sale of a book and tucked it under his mattress. Hari waited until Anil was asleep, crept in and took the notes. Anil sighed in his sleep, but he did not wake. Hari ran, counted the money, and went to the station to catch the Lucknow Express but did not board it. It began to rain and he walked through the bazaar, thought about Anil and his lessons and returned to put the money back.

Teacher's Note:
1. Keep to the order of events.
2. Mention the train, the rain and the return.