CBSE Class 10 English A Triumph of Surgery Assignment Set 03

Short Answer Type Questions
 

Question. How did Mrs. Pumphrey and her servants behave when Tricki was being sent to the surgery?
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey began to cry loudly when Dr. Herriot carried Tricki in a blanket to his car. She gave out a despairing cry when the doctor moved off with Tricki. The entire staff was roused and maids were rushed in and out bringing Tricki's day bed, night bed, favourite cushions, toys and bowls. As Dr. Herriot drove away with Tricki, Mrs. Pumphrey, with a despairing cry, threw an armful of little coats through the window.

Question. Why did Mrs. Pumphrey call the doctor? Or Why did Mrs. Pumphrey take Tricki to the doctor?
Answer: Tricki was not eating anything for the past few days. He had refused even his favourite dishes and had bouts of vomiting. Moreover, he was spending his time lying on a rug, panting. He was not going for walks. All these symptoms forced Mrs. Pumphrey to visit the doctor.

Question. How does Dr. Herriot treat Tricki?
Answer: Dr. Herriot cut down Tricki's food and made him exercise. For first three days, he did not give him food but only water. He did not give any medicinal treatment but made him run all day with the dogs. He discovered the joys of being bowled over, tramped on and squashed. He enjoyed a lot along with his recovery.

Question. What makes you know that Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady?
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey was a wealthy lady as she had many servants and maids. She also had a pet. She used to feed her pet with lot of dishes, sweets and snacks. Moreover, she had a separate room and wardrobe for her pet. All these things show that she was a rich lady.

Question. What was Mrs. Pumphrey's reaction when Dr. Herriot suggested Tricki's hospitalization?
Answer: Dr. Herriot had made his plan in advance. So when Mrs. Pumphrey reported Tricki's illness, he at once suggested him to be hospitalized for about a fortnight to be kept under observation. The poor lady almost swooned. She was sure he would pine and die if he did not see her every day.

Question. Why is Mrs. Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey has a dog named Tricki. It becomes listless and seems to have no energy. It falls ill so, Mrs. Pumphrey gets worried about Tricki. Ironically, she herself is responsible for the miserable condition of the dog.

Question. How did lunch become 'a ceremonial occasion for Mr. Herriot and his partners'?
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey used to send extra eggs and wine and even brandy to build Tricki up. All these were consumed by Mr. Herriot and his partners. Thus for a fortnight, lunch became 'a ceremonial occasion' for them.

Question. What did Mrs. Pumphrey do to bring Tricki back to normal health? Was she successful?
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey felt Tricki must be suffering from malnutrition. She began to give him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep. It made the things worse for the dog. Finally, he was admitted to the hospital.

Question. How did Tricki become an accepted member of the gang and start enjoying company of other dogs?
Answer: Tricki was given no food but plenty of water for two days. He began to show some interest in his surroundings. He began to participate in social activities of the other dogs. He ran about with the dogs, joining in their friendly scrimmages. Soon he became an accepted member of the gang.

Question. Why was Tricki an uninteresting object for other dogs at the surgery?
Answer: At the surgery, the household dogs surged around Dr. Herriot to see Tricki. Tricki looked down at the noisy pack with dull eyes and when put down, lay motionless on the carpet. The other dogs sniffed around for a few seconds and then deciding he was an uninteresting object, ignored him.
 

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. Mrs. Pumphrey gave many excuses for not following Dr. Herriot's advice. What were these? What had happened to the dog then?
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey was very worried about Tricki when she found him to have grown listless. She thought that he must have been suffering from malnutrition. She told Doctor Herriot that she had been giving little extras like malt and cod liver oil to build him up. Mrs. Pumphrey also could not follow Dr. Herriot's advice of keeping him away from cakes and chocolates.

Question. How can you say that Mrs. Pumphrey pampered Tricki to extremity? Or Mrs. Pumphrey was responsible for Tricki's ailment? How?
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey pampered Tricki to the extremity. The dog was hugely fat. He had blood-red and rheumy eyes. His tongue lolled from his jaws. He had become listless. Tricki could not even wag his tail. Mrs. Pumphrey gave him fatty foods like chocolate, cream, cakes and even malt as well as cod liver oil. The greed of Tricki and Mrs. Pumphrey pampering him, along with doing no exercise, were the reasons for his ailment.

Question. How did Tricki become an accepted member of the gang and start enjoying the company of other dogs.
Answer: Tricki started out on the third day. Joe, the Greyhound, and his friends surrounded him. They rolled him over and inspected him. Tricki followed the other dogs to the garden. He enjoyed a lot in their company though he was rolling slightly with his surplus fat.

Question. What was Tricki's condition when Mrs. Pumphrey recollected him?
Answer: Tricki's ears were flapping. His tail was waving. He had been transformed into a lithe, hard-muscled animal. His chest was almost brushing the ground. He was a frolicsome, rather than an uninteresting object. The other dogs enjoyed his company.

Question. "I think I know a cure for you." What was the 'cure'?
Answer: Mr. Herriot knew that Mrs. Pumphrey's pampering was hindering Tricki's recovery. The cure he had for Tricki was to take him out of the house for some time. Hospitalization was also the cure for Tricki, according to Herriot.

Question. How did Mrs. Pumphrey show her concern for Tricki when he was at the surgery?
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey was deeply concerned and attached to Tricki. At the surgery, she started sending fresh eggs and bottles of wine to build up Tricki's strength. Bottles of brandy were also sent.

Question. "I was really worried about Tricki this time." Why was the author worried?
Answer: The author found that the dog had grown abnormally fat. Tricki looked like a bloated sausage with a leg at each corner. His eyes were bloodshot and watery, while his tongue lolled from his jaws. He looked extremely sick, so the doctor was worried about him.

Question. Do you think Mrs. Pumphrey was responsible for Tricki's condition?
Answer: Yes, Mrs. Pumphrey was responsible for Tricki's condition. She had pampered Tricki by giving him excess of ice cream, cakes, chocolates, etc. She had been overfeeding Tricki without letting him exercise. She even avoided taking Tricki for regular walks or playing with him, thus Tricki's condition was getting worse.

Question. "Tricki's only fault was greed." How did it get him into trouble?
Answer: Tricki's only fault was greed. He had never been known to refuse food. He would tackle a meal at any hour of the day or night. As a result, he became listless. He seemed to have no energy. He became like a bloated sausage with legs. His eyes, bloodshot and rheumy, stared straight ahead and his tongue lolled from his jaws. He couldn't even walk. Later, he had bouts of vomiting when his sickness increased. He refused even his favourite dishes and spent all his time lying on the rug, panting. He didn't want to go for walks or do anything in general.

Question. Why did the author want to take Tricki to his hospital?
Answer: After seeing Tricki's condition, the author felt that the only way to cure Tricki was to get him out of the house for some time, so that nobody could over-feed him or pamper him. He suggested that Tricki should be hospitalised for about a fortnight and kept under observation at his clinic.

Question. How did Mrs. Pumphrey react on hearing that Tricki had recovered?
Answer: When Mrs. Pumphrey came to know of Tricki's recovery, she arrived within minutes in her car to collect Tricki. She looked very tense and wanted to know if her dog was really better. There were tears in her eyes and her lips trembled on seeing Tricki healthy and in good shape.

Question. How did Mrs. Pumphrey find Tricki after recovery?
Answer: After recovery, Mrs. Pumphrey found that Tricki had been transformed into a little, hard-muscled animal at the clinic. He was hurtling round and round the lawn with the other dogs. Tricki was now flapping his ears, waving his tail and stretching out in great bounds as he played with the other dogs.

Question. Mrs. Pumphrey is a very loving and caring mistress for Tricki. But excess of everything is bad. Elaborate with reference to Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricki.
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady with a lot of love for her pet dog Tricki. She loved to live comfortably in a luxurious way. She took extra care of Tricki by overfeeding him. She was not able to make out that the excess of weight and the fur coats did not allow the dog to move and play. She was so fond of her dog that she had got a wardrobe separate for daytime and night-time beds, and a number of lovely fur coats. She pampered Tricki by giving him food that should not be given to a dog. She could not refuse delicious and favourite food to Tricki which made him overweight and inactive. Even in the hospital, she sent him eggs and brandy. Her fondness for the dog and care were in excess. She forgot that excess of everything is bad. She fed him excessively and made him sick. No doubt, Mrs. Pumphrey was a very loving and caring mistress, but her excess pampering of Tricki proved otherwise.
 

Extract Based Questions

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
I marched out to the car carrying the little dog wrapped in a blanket. The entire staff was roused and maids rushed in and out bringing his day bed, his night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl.

Question. Who carried the little dog wrapped in a blanket?
Answer: Dr. James Herriot carried the little dog wrapped in a blanket.

Question. State true or false. None of the terms (a)-(d) below, can be applied to the statement — Mrs. Pumphrey carried the little dog in a blanket.
(a) A hypothesis - a proposed explanation for a phenomenon
(b) An assumption - something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true without proof
(c) A premise - a proposition that forms the basis of an argument
(d) A theory - a well-substantiated explanation for a natural phenomenon
Answer: True

Question. Comment on the lifestyle of the little dog.
Answer: The little dog, Tricki, led a luxurious life. He had a wardrobe of tweed coats with separate coats for the cold and rainy weather. He had separate beds for day and night. He even had separate bowls for breakfast, lunch and supper.

Question. Which phrase would correctly substitute 'marched', in the given sentence from the extract. He marched into the room and demanded money.
Answer: walked

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
The word ‘convalescing’ seemed to do something to Mrs. Pumphrey. She started to bring round fresh eggs, two dozen at a time, to build up Tricki’s strength. For a happy period my partners and I had two eggs each for breakfast, but when the bottles of wine began to arrive, the real possibilities of the situation began to dawn on the household.

Question. State any one inference about Mrs. Pumphrey from the given extract.
Answer: It can be inferred from the given extract that Mrs. Pumphrey was very attached to her dog, Tricki. She loved him a lot, which is why she became very worried when he fell sick.

Question. State true or false. None of the terms (a) - (d) can be applied to the statement - She started to bring round fresh eggs, two dozen at a time, to build up Tricki’s strength.
(a) A hypothesis - a proposed explanation for a phenomenon
(b) An assumption - something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true
(c) A hyperbole - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
(d) A premise - a proposition that forms the basis of an argument
Answer: True

Question. Which phrase would correctly substitute 'convalescing' in the given sentence from the extract? The word 'convalescing' seemed to do something to Mrs. Pumphrey.
Answer: recovering

Question. What did Mrs. Pumphrey do when she heard that Tricki was recovering?
Answer: When Mrs. Pumphrey heard that Tricki was recovering, she started to bring two dozen eggs to build up Tricki’s strength. Later, she started bringing bottles of wine which would help in enriching his blood.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
I was really worried about Tricki this time. I had pulled up my car when I saw him in the street with his mistress and I was shocked at his appearance. He had become hugely fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg at each corner. His eyes, bloodshot and rheumy, stared straight ahead and his tongue lolled from his jaws.
Mrs. Pumphrey hastened to explain, “He was so listless, Mr. Herriot. He seemed to have no energy. I thought he must be suffering from malnutrition, so I have been giving him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep — nothing much really”

Question. The author describes the dog’s obesity as "like a bloated sausage". State any one inference about Mrs. Pumphrey from the given context.
Answer: The dog’s mistress had been overindulging him despite the doctor’s earlier advice.

Question. State TRUE or FALSE that none of the terms (a) to (d) given below, can be applied to the question given below.
What is Mrs. Pumphrey’s belief that “Tricki was so listless, Mr. Herriot. He seemed to have no energy. I thought he must be suffering from malnutrition” based on?
(a) A hypothesis — a proposed explanation for a phenomenon.
(b) An assumption — something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true without proof.
(c) A premise — a proposition that forms the basis of an argument.
(d) A theory — a well-substantiated explanation for a natural phenomenon.
Answer: (b) An assumption — something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true without proof.

Question. 'I thought he must be suffering from malnutrition, so I have been giving him some little extras between meals to build him up...' What does the above statement reflect about both the mistress and her dog? Elaborate in about 40 words, with reference to the extract.
Answer: If Mrs. Pumphrey was blindly into pampering and fussing over her pet, the dog was also greedy and didn't mind hogging the extra helpings day in and day out. It made him sick and listless and ironically, he was fed more to overcome this.

Question. Which phrase would correctly substitute 'bloated' in the given sentence from the extract? He had become hugely fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg at each corner.
Answer: overstuffed